Coping With Reality
by MusicalGeniusAnimeLover
Summary: Sakura's been kicked out of her home after she and her alcoholic and abusive father had a gruesome arguement. In search of a place to stay, she heads to Konoha to stay with her best friend Naruto, but she finds that he is out of the question. What's a girl to do? Shack up with some very sexy older guys. Sakura Multi centric older guys, i.e. Kakashi,etc Eventual Lemons! R&R please
1. Homeless

_**A/N: Hey everyone, so I realized that there aren't many stories like this, so I just decided to post it because I was inspired and I essentially said "what the hell?" and went for it :). I haven't watched Naruto for a while, so the characters may seem a little out of character, but I don't care. I like it regardless. Now I'm only going to ask at the beginning. Please Review? They really help me write.**_

_**Thanks,**_

_**Lexi**_

_**Ages of everyone that I know for a fact will be included:**___

_**Asuma-27**_

_**Kakashi-25**_

_**Genma-25**_

_**Izumo-26**_

_**Kotetsu-25**_

_**Jirayia-34**_

_**Iruka-29**_

_**Maito Gai-26**_

_**Sakura -17**_

_**Ino-19**_

_**Naruto-20**_

_**Hinata-19**_

_**Chouji-22, **_

_**Chapter One**_

_**Homeless**_

"You're out of here!"

A young woman was thrown onto the cobbled road and cried out as her behind slammed onto the rough surface. Her face turned quickly in protest when a large suitcase was thrown at her and narrowly missed her round face.

"Wait!" She yelled, but to no avail. The door to her old life was shut. She stared at it for a few minutes as yelling could be heard from behind the door of her old home, her mother and father screaming at each other. A stray tear cascaded down her supple cheek and dropped to the ground, leaving a tiny splatter that was almost unnoticeable on the dark street. The screaming had stopped, but the sound a loud crash alerted her that her father had most likely stumbled upstairs to his bedroom to drink and sulk. A loud, heart wrenching sob could be heard from the kitchen area. The woman knew it was her mother, crying over the metaphorical and literal loss of her daughter, over the way her life turned out to be, and for the fact that he hit her mother like he always did to get his way. The young woman didn't want to leave her mother in such a poor state, but at the same time, she considered the fact that her mother never stopped her father from hitting her or her daughter, for inflicting so much hatred and abuse that had forever changed the young woman.

She was seventeen, alone, and homeless.

Where would she stay? Where would she go?

Friends weren't really an option seeing as how she really didn't have any other than her best friend who moved away two years ago.

She mulled over the idea of tracking him down and asking for a place to stay until she got her feet back on the ground. She ultimately decided to go to Konoha and find him. He was the only one who would help her in this condition.

She stood, rubbing her bottom soothingly, and grasped her suitcase solemnly.

This was it; she was no longer allowed the option of her own bed, her own room, instead she would have to find a way to live on her own. She checked her pockets for any sign of cash and found that she had a twenty, a couple of crumpled up ones, and some chump change.

She sighed, replaced the money inn her pocket, and turned to the home she had grown up in one last time. With a sharp turn, her pink hair swished and she began her journey to the unknown.

It was raining heavily when the man in his late twenties awoke. He rubbed his tired eyes and stared at his pale blue ceiling with his toned arm thrown over his forehead.

He groaned as he glanced over to his clock and realized that he had to get to the gym to train that annoying blonde kid again.

"Dammit," he muttered as he forced his still weary body up from its oh so comfortable position. The cool air instantly made his bare body shiver as it impacted his cream colored skin.

"Damn you Gai and your need for the house to be freezing."

With one final push, he stood from his bed, not bothering to fix the sheets, and sauntered rather lazily to his closet. He dressed slowly, wanting to prolong the wait on going to the gym.

As he finished, a gruff knock came at the door followed by a, "Kakashi dammit, if you don't get your ass out here now I'll have to kill you. We have to get to the gym."

Kakashi rolled his eyes and simply retorted, "Fuck off."

Needless to say his door was off its latches shortly after revealing a very angry brunette man with a toothpick threatening to fall from his snarling lips.

"If I'm late and miss that sexy chick's appointment I swear on your life that I will end you! Now let's go dammit."

Kakashi smirked and grabbed his gym bag and followed the steaming man out his battered door. Kakashi stopped for a moment glanced nonchalantly at his door and looked back at the other man.

"You're fixing that you know?"

"Shut the fuck up!" He growled and quickened his pace towards the front door, past their other roommates who hadn't left for work yet or didn't have work today, and swung the front door open. Kakashi only chuckled in reply and gave a terse wave to his other roommates as he followed the fuming brunette.

Pink hair fell limp around the young woman's face as she watched the multiple streets, signs, and people pass by on the metro bus that she spent a few bucks on that she felt she had to spare, keeping the twenty. She was now in Konoha, and knew vaguely where her friend's apartment was. He had explained it to her over the phone once. As she recalled it was a large yellow apartment building with a blue roof and five levels and was located around 5th street? No King Street, or was it Avenue? What number was he again, 12, no 21? She groaned inwardly and cursed herself for not having a better plan. As the last stop before the bus left Konoha for the next town over came into view and she quickly clutched her decently heavy suitcase and stood.

She had to admit, at least her dad had thrown in a lot of her stuff. But she figured it was more because he wanted every trace of her to be gone and not because he wanted to ensure she had anything she needed.

The bus came to a quick stop, almost knocking the young woman off her feet, but she quickly regained her balance and followed the other commuters off of the vehicle. She stood there at the bus stop for a few moments, just admiring the scenery of the bustling city but was quickly brought out of her trance when a man bumped into her and continued to walk on as if the altercation hadn't happened.

"Jeez," she growled and glowered at the man, "at least say you're sorry."

As she began walking, she suddenly realized that her pocket had been turned inside out, and the one measly twenty dollar bill was missing from her person. She looked around frantically and it dawned on her when her eyes returned to the spot where the man bumped into her that he had pick-pocketed her. Angry tears threatened to spill from her jade green eyes, but she refused to cry. She had to find her friend before night fell, because she had a feeling that she wouldn't be able to make it if she couldn't find him and quick.

She huffed and made her way across the sidewalk, heavy suitcase in tow and trudged up a rather steep road. She stopped several people and asked them for directions. Most ignored her or simply glared and walked away. Her mood took a turn for the worst when the eighth person she had asked snubbed her. A vision caught her eye though as she continued disheartened. An arrangement of different bouquets lined a store window and she couldn't help but peek inside. An older gentleman was perched over some lovely white lilies and asked the beautiful young saleswoman how much they were. She gave him a kind reply, and he gathered them up and paid for them. He walked out of the flower shop and gave the young pink haired woman a small nod and smile as he continued down the steep road.

The woman peered inside once again and gazed at the young woman. She really was quite lovely with her long flowing blonde hair and lightly tanned skin. She looked kind of like a model that the pink haired woman would sometimes fawn over in the few fashion magazines she had owned.

The girl decided to push her luck and stepped inside the flower shop, a small jingling of a bell signaling her entrance. The blonde turned to greet the weary traveler, but stopped as she viewed the girl's troubled exterior. The side of the woman's face was yellowing after an obvious bruise had been there for a few days. Her clothes were dull in that they hadn't been washed and she hadn't changed out of them yet, and her once vibrant rose colored locks hung limp around her soft feminine face.

The blonde's blue eyes held worry and a little pity as she stared at the shy woman who knew she really did not appear very lovely at the moment in time.

"Do you need any help?" The blonde asked, taking note of the heavy suitcase the girl was lugging around and her weak body looking like it was about to collapse. What a loaded question that was. The green eyes of the young woman began to well up once more. No one had even taken notice of her let alone asked if they could help her. Yet here was this beautiful woman asking a drained homeless teenager who looked like a rag doll if she needed help. The tears brimmed over her eyes, and her suitcase dropped as her small hands flew up to hide her face as a shaky sob wracked her body. The blonde gasped and quickly made her way over to the girl and placed her hands on her shoulders to try and comfort her.

"Here," she soothed, "why don't I take you to the back so you can get cleaned up hmm?"

The watery green colored eyes peeked at her in between cries and her head quickly nodded. The woman walked to the glass door of the shop, locked the latch and turned the open sign to the closed side. She heaved the heavy suitcase into her arms and grunted at the weight, but quickly ushered the still shuddering woman to the back of the store, where stairs led up to a small loft. The blonde placed the hefty luggage on the lilac sofa and took the hiccupping woman to the bathroom where she pulled out a towel and showed her where everything was for her to get washed up.

The pink haired girl sniffled and gave a small, "Why are you being so-hic nice to me?"

The blonde gave a small but beautiful smile in reply, and stated matter-of-factly, "I know what it's like to be alone and in a big city."

With that said the woman patted the calmer woman and closed the door behind her, giving the young lady some privacy.

Without further ado, the girl stripped of her filthy clothing and placed the fluffy towel on the toilet seat. She stepped into the shower and turned the knob, being jolted by the severely cold water, and quickly turned it to the little red H on the dial. The water warmed, and she felt her worn out body relax as her aches were soothed by the warm water's soft caress.

The fair-haired woman shuffled around her apartment gathering some articles of clothing for the rose hair colored woman and quietly placed them by the door with a note. She smiled at her handiwork and made her return to her shop down stairs.

Shortly after, the young girl stepped out of the shower and wrapped the white fluffy towel around her. It smelled like fabric softener and she couldn't help but place it upon her nose and inhale the lovely scent.

Things were finally looking up.

The girl dried herself off, but kept the towel firmly around her as she poked her head out the door, searching for the kind shopkeeper. She wasn't anywhere in sight and the girl felt a little dejected by the woman's disappearance. As she began to step out of the bathroom completely, her toes grazed something that has not floor. She looked down at the tiny pile of clothing with a small piece of paper folded on top and gave a little smile.

She grasped the note and read it to herself.

"Hey, I'm sorry if you're confused, but I had to get back down to my store. I left some clothes for you, though I have a feeling they won't fit you all that well seeing as how you have bigger boobs than me and a smaller butt. But I figured they were better than nothing. You're other clothes are in the washing machine now. Come down when you're done."

A hopeful expression overtook the young woman's features as she quickly dressed in the garb the platinum haired woman had left her. Indeed the clothes did not fit well, but they would work for the time being. A small blue tank-top clung tightly to the girl's torso, while the cutoff jean shorts hung rather loosely on her small frame. The girl only shrugged at her appearance, not seeing how it was all that bad and made her way back to the shop downstairs.

The blonde had just finished up with another customer when pink hair came into her view. She gave a warm smile at the now clean and much more revived girl's appearance.

"Feel any better?"

She nodded, "Yes, much. I can't thank you enough for your hospitality."

The woman placed her hand up in a non-defensive manner and grinned, "No prob, I'm just happy you seem a little happier. So tell me, why are you traveling all by your lonesome Miss Mystery?"

The girl blushed deeply and sighed, knowing that she needed to tell her about it. It was the least she could do.

"Well… You see uh… I was… I was kicked out of my house. My um, my dad and I got into a huge argument and I… well, he packed up as much of my stuff as possible, and threw it and me out onto the street. I-I have a friend who lives here, but I really don't know my way around, so I tried to ask people for help but… they all just ignored me. Not to mention some bastard pickpocketed me right after I got off the bus. When I got to your shop… I don't know I… I just felt like maybe, just maybe you would help me…" She stared at the floor telling herself over and over again not to cry.

The blonde gave an understanding smile and placed a manicured hand on the girl's shoulder.

"No worries, I totally get it. And of course I'll help you! It's a little late in the game not to help you!" The blonde chuckled, not cruelly, but light heartedly. The pink-haired girl found herself smiling as well and returned the small chuckle.

"So, as soon as I'm done here, I'll take you wherever you need to go okay?"

The girl nodded and gave the most thankful expression she could muster.

"I'm Ino by the way." The blonde declared and shoved her hand into the pink-haired girl's.

She grinned and replied, "Sakura."

Once everything was in order and Ino finished up with the last customer, she led Sakura, suitcase in tow to her car after locking up the store. Sakura hopped in the passenger seat while Ino took a moment to put her sunglasses on. She gave a smile to Sakura, and they were on their way to find the apartments that Sakura's friend lived.

It took them about an hour to find the apartment complex that was ironically closer to the shop than they had anticipated and decided to knock on the two doors Sakura thought of.

They first went to apartment twelve. A quiet man wearing sunglasses and what appeared to be a trench coat opened the door. They began to ask if he knew anything about Sakura's friend when a couple of giant cockroaches crawled out of the man's apartment and onto the adjacent wall. Before both girls could squeal, another one crept out of the man's coat and onto his hair. Both girls squealed in terror and bid the man adieu quickly as they fled up the stairs.

They panted as they reached apartment 21 and silently agreed to never speak of the incident with the bug fanatic again. Sakura tentatively knocked on the door and waited. A meek shuffling could be heard from the closed door and the door was quickly unlocked and opened ever so slightly to reveal the form of a rather beautiful raven haired woman. She stared shyly and a little confused at the two women as she waited for them to speak.

"Um, hi… I'm Sakura. I was wondering if my friend Naruto lived here, but I guess I have the wrong apartment…" Just as Sakura was about to turn and walk away, the shy woman quickly spoke up.

"Oh- N-Naruto does l-live here… He's m-my fiancé…" She spoke weakly, her voice barely over a whisper.

Sakura curiously stared at the woman in confusion, "Fiancé? I didn't know he was getting married…"

The woman blushed deeply and nodded her head. Sakura gave her a smile.

"I'm sorry for bothering you. It was nice to meet you." Sakura stated and began to walk away again.

"Ah- w-wait! Naruto is at the gym if you want to go visit him," she spoke quickly. Sakura turned and again smiled. Ino glanced at both women as the raven haired beauty gave Sakura directions to the gym, to which Sakura thanked her for. The interaction was odd, almost, strained on Sakura's part. Ino took notice to the change in character and decided that she would bring it up later.

"I-I'm Hinata by the way. It w-was a p-pleasure meeting you."

The rosy head bobbed in reply and gave a "likewise" as she and Ino waved goodbye and made their way back down the multiple flights of stairs.

Ino gazed at Sakura through the corner of her eye with her large blue irises.

"Are you alright?" She asked, hoping that her newfound friend wasn't upset again. Sakura sighed and gave a depressed nod.

"Yes, I'm okay… I just don't know where I'm going to stay now. I can't intrude on Naruto and Hinata, I mean, it would be rude…"

"You could always stay with me."

"Thank you Ino," the rose haired woman began, "but that would be asking entirely too much of you. You've helped me so much already and I couldn't possibly ask you to do that…"

"But, I'm offering."

"I know, but don't take this the wrong way, but you don't have a lot of room, and I don't want to be in your space."

The blonde figure there was no point in arguing with the girl so she just sighed in reply, hopped in the car with Sakura, and drove to the gym to visit her friend.

Kakashi sighed as he watched his trainee struggling to lift the not-that-heavy dumbbell and pulled out one of his trusty books. They were all written by the same person, his landlord Jirayia, and although he hated to admit it, they were pretty good. Decent plots, good characterization, and steamy bits that would make a porn star blush covered the pages, and Kakashi couldn't get enough.

He almost giggled when his eyes scanned over one of the naughty bits, but quickly bit it back and settled for a grin instead.

"Jesus, you're still reading that shit? Shouldn't you be helping the dumbass, looks like he's struggling?"

"And shouldn't you be tending to your multiple whorish housewives Genma?"

Genma chuckled, sucking on his toothpick while watching the blonde kid attempting to perform some simple bicep curls and ending up with the weight landing solidly and painfully on his foot. He smirked at the kid's failed attempts at trying to do all the exercises in the weight room. He had to give the kid credit though, he was persistent.

The young man sighed and rubbed his aching foot while sending a glare to the two older guys. But, his focus was not on them for long when a flash of pink caught his attention. He turned quickly to the source and his jaw came unhinged. It couldn't be, but it was. It was his best friend from childhood whom he had harbored a crush over for years until he met his future wife. He had to admit though, she looked hot…except for the strange discoloration on her cheek. That's when it hit him, her dad did something again.

"Sakura!" He exclaimed. Her head whipped around and a huge smile overtook her features. She sprinted to him and was enveloped in an embrace she hadn't realized that she missed.

The two men had heard the commotion and turned to see Naruto hugging an incredibly attractive woman. Bothe of their mouths dropped a little at the sight. They knew Naruto was engaged to a gorgeous girl, which neither of them understood, but this is just ridiculous. They both aggressively took in her features, her expression, and her tight little body. They both couldn't help but become jealous of the younger guy and glare at him a little.

"What are you doing here?" He asked animatedly. Her smile faltered as she turned her bruised cheek away from his view. He placed her back on her feet and gave her a hard stare.

"What did he do?" His voice dripped with venom. The tears wanted to spill again, but she kept them at bay and swallowed a large lump that had formed in her throat. He forced her to look at him and gave her a stern look.

"He-he kicked me out…" she muttered quietly, trying to avoid his brilliant blue eyes that she admired. A deep growl rose from his chest and she had to quickly place her hands on his chest to keep him from doing anything drastic. He clutched her tightly and continued to stare at her purposefully.

"Did he hit you again?" His voice was so menacing that if Sakura hadn't known any better, she would have thought Naruto a really bad scary guy. She didn't reply, which was enough of an answer for him. He tried to move again, but she gave him a hard look that told him to stop. He growled angrily and became frustrated with her attempts to calm his rage.

"I'll kill him."

Sakura only sighed and placed her head on his shoulder. It was then that she noticed two pairs of eyes belonging t two handsome faces staring at her and Naruto. She quirked and eyebrow at the two men and turned to Naruto and asked who they were.

He glanced over at them and then announced, "Oh, the silver haired guy is my personal trainer Kakashi, and the other one is another trainer named Genma. Hey you guys!"

The two mentioned looked on befuddled for a moment before staggering over to introduce themselves to the pretty woman.

Ino at that time, after flirting incessantly with the guy at the front desk came over as well.

"Kakashi, Genma," Naruto began, "this is my best friend from childhood Sakura Haruno."

They both gave their own personal grin and introduced themselves formally. Sakura then introduced Ino, who was currently flirting with a towel boy. She smiled, finding the men attractive, but too old for her. They conversed for a few moments when a chirp from Ino's phone interrupted the conversation. She smiled sheepishly and apologized before she pulled out her phone and spoke to the person on the other end. It turned out to be a very important customer and Ino spoke briefly with the man before ending the conversation. She cursed under her breath and gave Sakura an apologetic look.

"So apparently this guy needs twenty-five arrangements of ten different flowers for a wedding and I'm really sorry, but if I don't go now, then I lose the deal."

Sakura laughed at her new friend and ushered her to leave, but Ino stopped before she got very far.

"Sakura you're suitcase!"

Sakura's jade eyes widened and she quickly ran after Ino to help her pull out the heavy thing. Ino bid her goodbye and left her number with her for future fun and just hanging out among other things. Sakura thanked her, gave her a hug and sent her on her way.

She sighed and lugged the heavy thing into the gym. The three men witnessed her struggle and quickly rushed to help her.

"Is it really that bad?" Naruto asked, staring at the heavy piece of luggage. Sakura gave a curt nod and leaned on him for support.

"I guess you're staying with me then right?"

Sakura shook her head quickly and stated, "I don't want to intrude on you and Hinata."

He stared at her skeptically, "Then where will you stay?"

She stared at the ground in defeat and shrugged.

"She could stay with us."


	2. So This is Home?

**_A/N: Sorry it's taken me so long, but this has been a very slow process. Grad exams, SAT, Spring Break, Moving some more, computer trouble, SUMMER, and several other things have been keeping me from writing to be honest. I can finally say I'm done with this chapter though! This isn't my favorite chapter, but hey, at least it's up now! Don't expect super fast updates, because I really don't have the best track record, but I do plan on trying my darnedest on finishing this story and my Harvest Moon story. _**

**_OhMiJesus! Thanks so much to my three reviewers:_**

**_Rawrgoesdadino_**

**_asdf_**

**_meepbeep_**

**_Now to answer your questions, I'm not sure if I'll include a whole lot of other guys in the love like nonagon or whatever :). I know they'll show up from time to time, but my main pairings are with the older guys yes._**

**_And thanks meepbeep for your criticism it means a lot. I'll work on it. Sorry if I do miss some of my grammar and or spelling errors, I normally don't do a lot of editing due to my desperate want to get the chapter out there._**

**_I was looking for a story like this, but I couldn't find one so I wrote one. Ha ha ha :)_**

**_There will be at least one younger contender, but Sakura will ultimately end up with one of the older guys._**

**_Now, you can all vote on my poll on my profile for which guy Sakura will end up with._**

**_The following contestants(and their ages again) for the older guys is this:_**

**_Asuma 27_**

**_Kakashi 25_**

**_Genma 25_**

**_Kotetsu 25 _**

**_Izumo 26_**

**_Jirayia(hahahaha) 34_**

**_Gai(BAHAHAHAHA) 26_**

**_Iruka 29_**

**_Now, please tell me who you want, if I don't get enough votes, then I'll decide myself. But the younger guys includes anyone from Naruto from the Akatsuki to people like Shikamaru and Rock Lee. But please note that Naruto and Chouji are not available. (You'll find out why Chouji isn't available later on ;)) Now, I WILL make a poll for the younger guys as well, but I want to narrow down the choices first, so I would appreciate comments or messages telling me who you guys want. _**

**_So again, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review! Pretty please? They make me happy._**

**_Thanks, _**

**_Lexi_**

**_NOW, ON WITH THE SHOW!_**

**_Chapter Two_**

**_New Home?_**

Sakura and Naruto gave the two men an odd look before queerly glancing back at each other then back at the two older men. Naruto felt a little strange with their suggestion. He of course knew about their living situation and he found it incredibly odd that they would ask a woman, a teenage woman at that, to live with them. He stared at them skeptically. Just what were they planning? Naruto had known these guys for a while now, and he never knew them to ask a girl over unless it was for sex, though they usually liked going to the woman's place to avoid their roommates. His cerulean eyes narrowed at the two men with seemingly innocent expressions on their faces, but before Naruto could decline their offer, Sakura interrupted.

"You guys would really let me stay with you? I mean, why? You don't even know me."

Genma shrugged and stated nonchalantly, "No, but we know when a girl is in some trouble and needs a place to stay."

"Besides," Kakashi interjected, "Yamato left a couple of months ago, leaving a nice bed and spacious room in his wake, and where else do you have to go?"

His eyes scanned her pretty, fair skinned face for any reluctance, and though he saw a little skepticism, she looked as if she agreed with the two older men. Kakashi crossed his well-toned arms while waiting for her reply.

She bit the inside of her cheek and contemplated living with two strange men she had just met today. She couldn't exactly straight up tell them no, that would be rude. Plus Kakashi was right, she had no where else to go. Naruto was out of the question, she would feel too weird sleeping anywhere next to an engaged couple, and Ino wasn't an option either, she only had one bed and a tiny loveseat sofa that was barely big enough to sit two people let alone sleep on. She had no money for a hotel so... Besides, these guys seemed pretty cool, just to ask her if she wanted to stay with them, but at the same time it seemed a little weird to her. Did other girls live with them too? Sakura glanced back at her suitcase then back up to the men's faces.

_Guess there's no other choice._

"Sakura-," Naruto began to protest, but was interrupted.

"Okay, I really don't have much of a choice, and you guys seem pretty cool. So, why not?" Sakura nodded.

"But Sakura-"

"Naruto," Sakura turned to him with a small smile, "I need to do this. There's no where else for me to go."

* * *

><p>She had no idea how it came to be that she was in the backseat of Genma's car while Kakashi fiddled with the radio, but here they were.<p>

They were driving, at an irregularly fast pace, to the new home Sakura would live in for as long as it took till she got her feet back on the ground. She surveyed the two men in the front seat as Genma growled at Kakashi to pick a station and leave it there. It was obvious to her that they were friends, good ones at that, even though they bickered constantly. Sakura would be lying if she said she didn't find them very attractive, because she couldn't help but ogle the well sculpted muscles both possessed and the care-free attitude each expressed that Sakura so desperately wished for for herself. Kakashi seemed to be the quieter of the two, but she noticed over the short time she's been around them that he enjoyed teasing and messing with Genma and basically exemplifying the attitude of a trickster. Genma on the other hand was hardly ever not speaking, whether he was yelling at Kakashi, hitting on her or any other girl that had a pulse and a decent appearance, or just speaking to himself.

Sakura bit back a giggle when Genma came close to screaming as Kakashi continued to flip through stations, staying on one for a few seconds, then changing the station once again.

Kakashi would have stopped by now, but his small glances at an amused Sakura made him continue. He had to admit, he liked seeing her smile; a woman's smile was, in his opinion, the most telling feature of a woman, and Sakura's seemed rare, but quite extraordinarily beautiful.

Genma on the other hand was a snap of a shoestring away from murdering his best friend, not only because of the annoying station changing, but also because he knew what his friend was really doing. The fact that Sakura was amused with Kakashi's tormenting game angered Genma a little, mostly because he wasn't the one making her laugh. He knew it was petty to be jealous of his best friend, but when it came to women, especially beautiful ones like the one in his backseat, Genma couldn't help but have a green little monster bubble underneath the surface whenever they paid more attention to Kakashi.

"So, Sakura," Genma started. Sakura's chuckling subsided and she turned her attention to the toothpick chewing brunette.

"So, why is a pretty thing like you all by yourself?" His chocolate brown eyes glanced up to his rear view mirror only to see Sakura's face falter.

Why did he have to ask that question?

Sakura cleared her throat and swallowed the lump that resided there. That question was really starting to get to her emotions. Hell she's only been asked this question like four times, once by Ino, once by Naruto, once by the weird homeless guy that sat next to her on the bus, and once by some creepy old man at the gym before she found Naruto and the guys.

She stared out the window and tried to think of a political answer, one that wouldn't give away to much information but one that still answered his question completely.

"I um, I just needed to get away from my house is all," Sakura replied quietly, hoping the answer would make the two drop the subject and revert back to bickering with each other. Kakashi and Genma shared a glance, but kept quiet about their concerns about the young woman in the back seat. Kakashi began to fiddle with the radio stations again and Genma simply smacked him partially playful and partially annoyed. Sakura sighed in relief and continued to stare outside as white picket fences and little children playing catch with their dogs whirred by.

It only took a few more moments before the turn for the driveway came into view, and Genma felt his foot nudge the accelerator just ever so slightly, causing the car to jolt forward even more. Sakura looked up as a giant house came into view, and all thoughts from her mind vanished.

An inaudible wow slipped from her lips as she gazed at the gigantic home. Its white walls had been painted recently she guessed because of it's minimal wear and tear. The lawn was freshly cut and a deep shade of healthy green, with random flowers, trees, and other plants scattered neatly in its vicinity. The four car garage was a bit foreboding to her, seeing as how it was almost bigger than her entire old house and one lone dark blue Mustang sat in the driveway. Sakura was awestruck to say the least. The house was massive and beautiful. She found it hard to believe that a couple of guys lived here.

As Genma came to a complete stop beside the Mustang, Sakura's seat belt practically came off on its own. She stepped out of the car before either men had even unfastened their safety belts and just marveled at the architecture before her. Both men smirked a little at her amazement, and stepped out. Genma went to the trunk and grabbed her large suitcase before re-closing the trunk's door.

"Pretty nice huh?" Kakashi boasted quietly while standing next to Sakura. All she could do in reply was nod. He chuckled and with Genma's help led her to the front door.

After fiddling with his keys for a moment, Kakashi unlocked the door and revealed an even more marvelous sight. The front door entered into a large living room that was adorned with red and white furniture and crimson walls. A long entertainment system equipped with surround sound, 80 inch plasma TV, an amazing music system, and every kind of game console(much to their embarrassment being as old as they were) you could think of was spread in front of the twelve seated white couch and glass coffee table. It was a real bachelor's pad, one that most bachelor's could only dream of.

An open kitchen was located just past the living room, and though it was large, there were not all that many appliances other than a state of the art refrigerator and microwave. The stove looked as if it hadn't been touched in ages, which Sakura chalked up to most guys wanting to avoid cooking at all costs. Sakura decided then that she would definitely have to make something in that beautiful kitchen to show her appreciation.

They continued to walk and stepped into a hallway where a grand staircase sat at the end. The two men walked up it nonchalantly while Sakura just marveled at the grand craftsmanship of the banister and the mahogany steps. She was quite smitten with this house already. Never in her life had she seen such grandiose, and never in her life had she ever expected to live in a place like this. She followed them while her hand lingered on the smooth surface of the railing and trailed up the banister as she took every step carefully, worried she might break or disturb something. Her old home was a far cry from the pure elegance this house, if you can even call it a house, and she couldn't help but try to savor each crevice, each curve, each image that these halls possessed. She was captured by the beauty of the entirety of it all, as simple and complex as that statement is.

She hadn't even realized they had stopped until she bumped into Genma's strong, well defined back. She caught her footing before she fell and blushed deeply at the smirk on his face, his toothpick dangling ever so slightly from his smooth lips. She gulped at the sight and quickly turned her attention to the the now open door in front of her.

Her jaw fell slack at the sight.

She did a double take.

And another.

She stepped inside tentatively before she broke into a fit of childish bouncing and quickly bounded towards the giant bed. She fell harshly onto the soft pillow-like comfort of the bed and giggled. The two men that were left at the door just stared on bewildered by the young woman's actions, glanced at each other, shrugged, and stepped inside. Genma placed her suitcase upon the ground next to her bed and looked back at her as did Kakashi.

The sight blew them away.

Her light pink locks had spread around her round face, creating a halo effect. Her parted lips still held a remnant of a smile while her eyes stayed closed in utter comfort. She sighed happily and opened her bright green eyes to look up at her new roommates. She batted her eyelashes curiously at their slightly agape expressions and sat up giving them an inquisitive look.

"What?" She inquired. Both men looked startled by her sudden inquiry and they both quickly held a sheepish look as they both looked around the room.

"Anyways," Genma began awkwardly, "we should probably talk about our other roommates."

Sakura quirked an eyebrow at this statement, but before Genma could continue, both men's phones chirped loudly with incoming text messages. They each flipped their phones open and sighed.

"Oh work..." Kakashi groaned, Genma moping as well.

"Didn't you guys just finish work?"

Kakashi looked back at the young woman and sadly stated, "Yes, but we have two jobs. This time we're headed to Bakauma."

"What is that?"

"A Japanese restaurant we work at, though people normally go there to get wasted rather than eat the food. I'm a waiter and Kakashi is a bartender. Three of our other roommates work their too." Genma replied nonchalantly. Kakashi's phone chirped again, followed by Genma's.

Kakashi rolled his eyes and announced, "I guess we should go before they get pissed. Are you going to be okay on your own for a little while?"

Sakura nodded vigorously, excited to explore the house without prying eyes. Genma smirked and Kakashi gave a small smile as they left the room, jade eyes glued excitedly to their backs the whole time.

* * *

><p>As soon as she heard the closing of two seperate car doors, and the vroom-vroom of engines, Sakura quickly ran to her large bay window and watched the two men leave from behind her pale green curtain. A smile quickly spread across her face as she tossed her body back onto her large very comfortable bed.<p>

"Wow," she whispered as she stared happily at the high ceiling.

"This is going to be great!"

She bounced off her bed and walked over to her suitcase. Unzipping the strained zipper, she began to pull out the only belongings she had to her name and place them where they belonged in her new room. Once finished, she wiped the imaginary sweat off her brow and really took in her surroundings.

The king sized bed was more than big enough for her and covered by a plush green comforter. It had no designs, but the simplicity made it more beautiful in Sakura's eyes due to the fact that she wasn't a fussy person. She liked the plainness of the room; she found it to be comfortable, though a little too spacious. She had never even seen a room this big in her whole seventeen years on this earth, and she admitted to herself that she felt a little spoiled just being near a room so large and lovely.

Her jade eyes surveyed the room but stopped when they landed on the slightly ajar door.

Before she knew what she was doing, she was outside her room and acting almost as if she was a ninja as she crept along the beige colored walls.

She stopped her advance when a painting appeared next to her. She blushed at the subject material, but could not keep her prying eyes from tracing the images. A naked Japanese woman and what looked to be a smaurai half dressed were situated in a very compromising position. The man in the painting's face was not viewable, but the woman's held a contorted painful look that Sakura quickly understood to be of an orgasmic expression. She wasn't naive; she knew about sex, how to go about it, and what it entails. Granted she was a virgin, never touched in a sensual way except for once when a man tried to grab her when she was ten as she headed home from Naruto's house.

She shuddered at the memory and quickly looked away from the painting as she continued on her path to the unknown of the large house. She made a beeline to the next door that was ever so slightly open. She squeaked at the room's interior.

The walls were that of a deep maroon and the floor was barely visible due to the incredible amount of papers, books, and random items strewn about in stacks upon stacks. She could just barely see the head board of a very large California King size bed beyond the columns of papers and books. It was obvious to her that someone stayed in this room, the sheets ruffled and clothes strewn in crevices between the stacks and columns, but she couldn't see how. A person can't walk in here let alone sleep or get dressed or just go about daily rituals. She opened the door as much as she could and grasped the book that sat on the first pile in front of her. She gave it a once over. It was read often she could tell, because of it's withered bindings and faded title. Her fingers ghosted over the paperback softly, afraid that it might be delicate. She opened the cover carefully and turned to the first page. She scanned over a few of the words, but decided to skip to the middle. Her eyes widened at the scene being portrayed in the text.

"'Oh William,'" Sakura whispered.

"Sonya ran her hands down her lover's back as his eyes met hers in a heated, lust-filled gaze. She knew what he wanted, and she realized with every passing second that she wanted the same thing. 'Sonya,' William gasped as she traced his abdomen with one slender finger. He couldn't help himself, he had to have her tonight. He grasped the back of her knees and hoisted her into his well-defined arms. Sonya's gasp of surprise mixed with sensuality filled his ears, and he quickly threw her onto the bed. She stared at him with hooded eyes while his hands flew to his belt buckle and made haste of undoing it. Sonya licked her lips and beckoned, 'I want you.' His shirt was off in mere moments as he pounced on top of her, his hands traveling down to her-'"

Sakura's blush covered her entire face and rivaled the color of her hair as she hastily placed the book back on it's designated stack. Her heart beat furiously against her rib cage as she imagined the oh so sensual scene Sonya and William were portraying. The heat from her face traveled downwards, but she quickly shooed the images out of her head and ignored the strange feeling in the pit of her stomach as she left the room and closed the door. The pink hue on her face remained while leaning against the door.

She shook her head, pink locks following, and made her way through the hallway. She decided to only visit rooms that had open doors and not travel into the closed ones in fear of what may be hidden behind them. For the most part the rest of the rooms' doors were shut so she ended up only finding the hallway bathroom and a linens closet. She considered going into any one of the other closed rooms, but decided against it and traveled downstairs to the kitchen.

Her slender fingers caressed the granite counter top. She sighed at the cool touch of rarely used rock and gave a small smile.

A severe hunger pang caused her to clutch her stomach and groan. She hadn't eaten anything for hours and she could truly tell that she had been neglecting her basic needs. She ventured over to the fridge but only found beer, milk, and... pickles? She shook her head and maneuvered to the pantry. She was in luck, there in the top corner, was a big box of ChocoChoco Puffs. She stood on tip toe, but it was out of her reach. She huffed and blew a strand of pink hair off of her slightly large forehead and decided to take matters into her own hands. She found a chair and stood on it, reaching into the depths of the shelf. Her small hand finally grasped it, and a smirk graced her plump lips.

"Hehehe thought you could defeat me aye?" She rhetorically asked the cereal box as she made her descent off of the wooden chair. Smugly, she searched for a bowl and finally found one in the cabinet next to the fridge. The spoon was easier to find, since clean ones were lying on the counter top, forgotten to be put away. Next came the milk, and before she knew it, Sakura was enjoying a nice bowl of chocolatey goodness.

She scooped out the last puff ball and licked her spoon clean. Sakura placed the spoon down on the counter and began to slurp the remaining milk, but just as she tilted the bowl back to quench the thirst for the chocolate milk, the contents spilled all over her chin, neck, down her tank top and all over the blouse itself.

She groaned at the mess she made and was thankful that she hadn't gotten any on the floor or counter. Placing the bowl down, Sakura hastened upstairs to her room and went to the drawers she had placed her clothes in. Finding a t-shirt, shorts, and some new underwear, her body moved to the restroom down the hall.

A towel hung above the sink and her items were placed upon the closed seat of the toilet. She groaned at the sight of her chocolate stained front and quickly shed herself of her soiled clothing.

She was in the shower within moments, and rid herself of the sticky substance.

* * *

><p>Genma and Kakashi, in their separate cars, pulled up to Bakauma. Kakashi was the first to step out of his dark blue Mustang, but Genma was quick to follow. They both knew that Asuma would chew them out about being late again, but they really didn't care seeing as how they got to meet a beautiful young woman and invite her to stay with them until she got her feet back on the ground.<p>

Her feet back on the ground...

How long would that take? They both would be lying if they said they wanted her to be automatically successful and get money and her own place in a matter of months or maybe even weeks.

Kakashi finished off his tie as his large foot slapped the floor of the restaurant's entrance. Genma was quick to follow and both quickly made a beeline for the bar in the center of the restaurant. Women of varying ages and outward beauty gave them winks and low growls of approval much to the chagrin of any of their male companions. Kakashi smirked at the blonde busty woman that sat in a corner sipping a dirty martini and tracing his figure with her hazel eyes. Her plump lips tugged at the corners as she gave him a lusty chuckle. Genma had his own paparazzi of women following his every move, but he was focused on the bar, wanting to get finished with work and sneak a few more peeks at his new roommate. It was strange for him to feel this way about one woman, seeing as he normally didn't want just one girl, but something about Sakura was so alluring.

Kakashi sighed as he made his way behind the bar and washed his hands in the sink beside the blender. He hadn't been getting much sleep lately, though he didn't know why, and felt quite exhausted and exasperated by the time the first order came in.

"Hey I want two shots of Sexy Alligator and one Bald Slut for my friend here," A man in his late thirties slurred as he wrapped his arm around a rather skimpily clad woman with a piss-poor boob job, leather-hard skin from overzealous tanning, and platinum blonde hair. Kakashi made the shots expertly and chuckled at the woman's appearance. From the look of it, she was bored out of her mind and only slightly tipsy, but her lopsided breasts seemed to have a mind of their own as they sloshed around in the barely there halter top with the movements of the man as he teetered side to side, almost completely inebriated.

The woman eyed Kakashi unabashedly and gave him a grin, which he noticed was her only nice feature, like I said, he's a smile kind of guy. The man with his arm around her slurred something incomprehensible into her ear to which she rolled her eyes and gladly took the shot given to her with one fast gulp. She was looking to get hammered so she wouldn't have to deal with the drunken man clinging desperately to her. When he wasn't looking, she downed both of his shots and winked at Kakashi.

Kakashi just ignored her as another order was given. She pouted at the lack of attention and pulled the intoxicated man off to some corner to blow off steam.

"Kakashi! Where ya been man? We've been swamped for the past hour!" A tall, tan skinned man slapped Kakashi on the back, his unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth. The man's unkempt hair bounced slightly as he rolled his sleeves up and began washing a few martini glasses.

"Well uh-" Kakashi began, but a waitress interrupted him with a drink order for her table. He set to work on making the drinks and looked across the room to see Genma flirting with a couple of girls instead of taking their order. Kakashi shook his head and gave a lighthearted chuckle to his friend's antics.

"He's going to get the shit beat out of him sooner or later if he keeps hitting on girls with boyfriends." The tall man suggested after noticing Kakashi's glance.

"Hey Asuma, I need one Golden Shower, two Blowjobs, one Buttery Nipple, and one Screaming Orgasm," a man with dark messy hair and lightly tanned, taut skin announced over the loud music blasting from the stereo.

"Yeah, Kotetsu, don't we all? Let me guess, Bachelorette Party?" Asuma commented as he expertly crafted the drinks.

Kotetsu gave a chuckle and replied, "More like queen party. Bunch of guys from the strip club down the street decided to go out on the town and get wasted."

Asuma gave a hearty laugh and finished off the list of drinks as he placed each one on Kotetsu's round black tray.

"Hey, where's Izumo?" Kakashi asked, wiping his wet hands on a terrycloth hand towel.

Kotetsu nodded toward the makeshift stage located beside the average sized dance floor, "He's setting up, and actually I need to get these drinks over to my table so I can help. I'll catch up with you guys after work." With that, Kotetsu disappeared into the throng of people moving haphazardly to the beat of some unrecognizable song. After about ten minutes, the loud techno song died down and the lights on the rather small stage lit up, shedding light upon the faces of Kotetsu and another young man with dark brown hair that hung just in front of his right eye in a perfect way. They both held electric guitars in their hands and both looked excited, being that they were musicians first and waiters second. Some girls in the crowd swooned and sighed at the sight of the two delectably attractive men as they tuned their instruments.

"Alright, so for all of you regulars, you know that tonight is Talent night. To those of you newcomers, in other words, you can come up here and sing along to karaoke, or showcase your own talent. I'm Izumo and this is Kotetsu, and we'll be opening the night for you guys like always. Enjoy guys."

Cheers and whistles were tossed around the onlookers as Izumo and Kotetsu began to play.

Kakashi sighed in relief. Usually when the guys started playing, he would get at least a ten minute break as people crowded around to listen to the duo. He stepped out from behind the bar and occupied one of the now empty stools. Asuma followed suit, and they were soon joined by Genma.

"You look exhausted man, you alright?"

Kakashi groaned and rubbed his face, then gave a sideways glance to Asuma.

"It's just been a long week, and a long day."

Asuma raised a brow, "What did you do today?"

Genma choked on the water he had been guzzling down, and quickly grabbed his apron to wipe away the dripping liquid from his chin. Asuma glanced from Kakashi to Genma several times before narrowing his dark eyes at the two other men.

"What's going on? Did you guys do something stupid?"

"Uh, well, I wouldn't call it stupid exactly..." Kakashi sheepishly scratched the back of his silver hair, avoiding direct eye contact with the man next to him.

"What did you guys do?" Asuma growled.

Before either could answer, the song ended and people began flooding the bar once again while other brave souls stayed behind and tried their luck at the mic. Asuma gave the two men a heated glance, telling them that they better fess up later, and began taking the numerous drink orders once again.

* * *

><p>Sakura fingered around for shower gel, but all she could find was an assortment of Old Spice and Axe products. She shrugged and chose the closest Axe bottle and lathered herself up, taking her time. The water even felt better here in the place than back at her old home. She rubbed her neck as she stared blankly at the faucet, her distorted reflection looking back at her.<p>

_I'm really alone now aren't I?_

**Yes, but with two amazingly sexy men just down the hall.**

_Shut up, I'm trying to have a serious moment here._

**And I'm trying to picture those sexy men doing a little strip tease for us.**

Sakura blushed brightly at her Inner's suggestion and quickly shook the thought away. She furiously scrubbed the rest of her body and turned the water off. The room was masked in a thick cloud of steam as she stepped out, her bare dripping body shivering as the mist cooled around her. She grasped the towel and wrapped it tightly around her feminine form. It was a small towel, just barely large enough to cover the necessary areas, but boy did it leave little to the imagination. She secured the towel around her by tucking the fabric in at the bust and raised her arms to tie off her damp hair in a messy bun.

Sakura swiped the clouded mirror with her hand and examined the yellow patch of skin on the side of her face. She tenderly pressed her fingertips upon the bruised flesh. She winced at the pressure; it was a yellowing bruise, but it was still sore. She placed her delicate hand back on the sink and just looked at herself, not really focusing on anyone feature, but just staring at the reflection of her weary soul.

Patting herself dry, she shed herself of the minuscule towel and began to dress slowly. She had barely slipped into her green bra and black cotton panties when the door to the bathroom slammed open. She screeched and tried to cover herself and quickly grabbed the damp towel to try and cover her half naked form.

The man at the doorway just stood there for a few moments, dazed by the image of a beautiful young woman barely clothed. A trickle of blood dripped from his left nostril and his jaw was slack. The large crown of pure white hair began to frizz in the steamy air as he continued to stare at the lovely creature before him.

"Who the hell are you? Get out!" Sakura screeched and began throwing numerous different hair styling products and other miscellaneous bathroom items. He shook his head and quickly chuckled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

"Haha," he chuckled awkwardly, "I hadn't realized one of the guys brought a girl home. Heh heh h-" He was swiftly smacked upside the head by a bottle of Armani cologne, and he found himself staggering backwards as the girl slammed the door in his face and made sure to lock it. She slid down the door mortified. Some dude walked in and saw her almost completely naked and just stood there and stared.

After contemplating on the thought of dying of embarrassment, Sakura quickly got dressed in the tight football jersey she had picked out, she got it freshman year before she got her GED when she played Powder-puff Football, and the simple pair of denim short shorts that were laid out in front of her. Looking once more in the mirror, trying to tame the immense shade of pink that covered her cheeks, she put on a brave face and headed out of the bathroom.

She was surprised to see that the pervert was no where in sight. She chanced a peek downstairs and found him laying on the couch nonchalantly sipping a beer and eating a pickle while watching a Sumo wrestling match. Sakura made a face at the combination but shook away the disgust and stood in front of the television. The man tried to look past her, but she would step in front of his sight each time, successfully blocking his view.

He exasperatedly threw up his hands and glared at her, but the glare ceased as he eyed the school logo on her shirt, at least that's what he was pretending to look at.

Sakura gave him a pointed look and waited for him to speak.

"Well?" She growled.

The man raised a white eyebrow at her quizzically and stretched his long arms on the couch.

"Well what?" He countered.

**Oh he's asking for it!**

"Aren't you going to apologize?" Sakura growled. She had only known this man for all of five minutes and he was already irritating her. He smirked in reply which only angered Sakura further.

"Why should I?"

The question left Sakura flabbergasted. Did he really not know? Hello, he walked in on her while she was changing! Sounds pretty apology worthy if you ask me.

"Look," he began and placed his elbows on his knees and leaned into them. "I don't see why I should apologize to some girl who probably had a one night stand with one of my buddies and decided to stay over until the next day in our house instead of doing the normal thing and leaving. In fact, I think you should apologize to me and whichever one you slept with for overstaying your welcome and using our shower and eating our food, don't think I didn't notice the bowl on the counter. Seeing as how I'm the landlord and everything, it seems to me that I am the one in need of an apology."

"What are you talking about? I never 'slept' or had a 'one night stand' with anyone! Kakashi and Genma brought me here so I could live here. Are you telling me you live here too?" Sakura retorted, angry of being accused of practically being a harlot.

The man's face dropped as her words sunk in.

"Just how many guys live here anyway? Jeez, don't tell me I'm living with a bunch of creepy old perverts like you!"

"Hey! I am not a pervert! And for your information I am only thirty-four. I'm not that old."

"Could've fooled me with that hair of yours." Sakura crossed her arms under her breasts and huffed. What the hell was going on?

"My hair is naturally white thank you very much. Speaking of hair, I didn't really get to peek earlier. Does the carpet match the drapes or is that a dye job?"

Sakura scoffed at the crude comment and glared steely eyed at him.

"That is absolutely none of your business! And I am still waiting for an apology asshole!"

The man stood up and walked to her, the Sumo wrestlers completely forgotten by both parties. Sakura took in his height, and boy was he tall. He towered over her; she had to crane her neck all the way up just to look him in the eyes. He had a broad chest, and now that he was closer, Sakura could clearly see that he was much younger than his hair suggested. His jawline was sharp with a small amount of stubble just lining the edge, and Sakura could distinguish his large protruding Adam's apple and it moved while he swallowed.

"Keep waiting babe, cuz you won't get one. And I haven't OK'd your moving in here. Who the hell gave Genma and Kakashi the right to just give away the room. I hope you realize that even if I do let you stay, which is unlikely at this point, you have to pay rent. Can you afford eight hundred bucks a month? Well can you?"

Sakura's face faltered, and it felt as if the whole world was about to crash around her.

_Eight hundred bucks? I'll never be able to pay that!_

She looked down and kept her emotions as confined as possible. She knew if she looked up that she wouldn't be able to stop the tears from overflowing. Sakura gave an audible gulp, and felt her body getting ready to collapse from all the emotional stress and turmoil that has been afflicted to her over the past twenty-four hours. Her knees buckled and she found herself being held up by the man's large arms. She rested her hands on his large chest as her breath came out ragged and difficult, a panic attack enveloping her body.

The man quickly sat her on the couch as she struggled to settle her breathing. He pushed her head down between her legs and held it there so she could catch her breath.

As her breathing became more and more even, the man let out a sigh of relief. He released her head and she slowly sat up, keeping her eyes on her hands that sat in her lap the whole time.

"What the hell was that about?"

Sakura couldn't help it. Once one tear slipped from her eyelashes, it was suddenly a waterfall. She dug her face into her hands and gave a good hard cry. The man had no clue what to do, first she was yelling at him, now she's sobbing on the couch. He awkwardly placed a hand on her shoulder and left it there as she continued to cry.

It took a minute or two, but once that good hard cry was out of her system, she took in a few ragged breaths and looked up at the man with puffy eyes. He gulped at the sight; she even looked good after crying, in a hot mess sort of way.

"I-hic-I'm sorry. I just... I really really need a place to stay, and when Genma and Kakashi offered, I was genuinely grateful that they even considered it. But I-I can't afford eight hundred bucks a month. I can't even feed myself. I just-" she looked up at him sadly. "I have no where else to go."

* * *

><p>The night ended too soon for Kakashi and Genma's liking. They knew the inevitable discussion was coming any moment now as they tried to busy themselves with cleaning up and shooing away the last couple of drunken men and tipsy women. Kotetsu and Izumo sat on top of the bar and counted their tips for the day while Asuma checked most of the waiters and waitresses out for the night since he was after all the Head bartender. The five men were almost always left the duty of locking up the place after hours, but they didn't mind really.<p>

Kakashi was just finishing up with putting the glass stemware up when Asuma cleared his throat. He sighed and placed the last glass in its proper place and turned to Asuma.

"Genma, we might as well go ahead and get it out in the open," Kakashi began.

Genma sighed and nodded.

"Well?" Asuma inquired, burly arms layered with a light covering of dark hair crossed over his chest. Kotetsu and Izumo looked up curiously, not really aware of what exactly was going on, but nosy all the same.

"Well," Genma started, "we found a new roommate today." He glanced unsure towards Kakashi and back to Asuma who stared at him skeptically.

"And?" Asuma interrogated. Jiraiya normally didn't like it when the guys tried to pull a fast one on him, so Asuma, in order to prevent annoying arguments, normally tried to nip problems in the bud before they even became problems.

"Shit man, she needs a place to stay okay?" Kakashi sighed.

There was a moment of complete silence.

"Did you say 'she'?"

_**Please review! I know I know, not the best, but I kind of left this story off for like two months and I'm just coming back to it now, so it probably has a few inconsistencies which I apologize for. Again, the poll for the guys is on my profile, and I'd like to know what younger guy should be a contender. If you have any suggestions for how to improve anything or if you just have an idea, go ahead and leave a comment or message me.**_

_**I love you guys! And thanks for reading!**_

_**Love Lexi!**_


	3. Surprises

**Chapter Three**

**Surprises**

Why did she have to give him that look? That look of total desperation. He almost felt like bursting into tears just looking into those big green watery eyes. Her eyes pierced him. He liked to act like a tough guy, but he and his roommates knew that he was really just a big woman loving softy. That would be the reason he gave into her and allowed her to stay.

"Oh alright then. I guess you can hold off on rent for a little while," He tried to look anywhere but her overjoyed face. Tears sprang to Sakura's eyes once again, but they were happy this time, ecstatic even. She embraced the older man in a tight hug and gave an ear to ear smile.

"Thank you so so so much! I promise that as soon as I get a job I will pay any and all debts to you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Sakura quickly bounced with glee.

The older man smirked at her childish actions and asked, "Got a name roomie?"

"Sakura," she annouced, hand outstretched.

He placed his large palm in her petite one and gave a firm shake, "Jiraiya."

He held her hand in his for longer than necessary, though Sakura didn't totally mind seeing as how even though he was a bit of a perverted jerk he was still pretty attractive, even if he is seventeen years older than her.

Sakura pondered on the thought of what it would be like to date a much older guy, not that she had really ever dated guys her own age. Her dad would have a shit fit if he ever got wind of her being in a relationship with a guy period. He once tried to beat the crap out of Naruto just for being friends with Sakura. But unfortunately for Sakura, he beat her instead. How would he feel if he knew that she was officially shacking up with men who were at least eight years her senior?

**_Why should you care about what he would think? Last I checked he kicked you out remember? Disowned you, abandoned you, literally threw you out on the street._**

_You're right, why do I care?_

**_Because you've got serious daddy issues?_**

_Do not._

**_Do too. _**

_Shut u-_

Sakura's inner feud was interrupted by the front door opening and closing and the loud grumbling and cursing of a man with a worn expression and tired brown eyes. He stopped where he was as he stared at Sakura, then at her and Jiraiya's intertwined hands, and then traveled his eyes up to Jiraiya's chiseled face. He raised a dark brown eyebrow at the scenario and blatantly gave Jiraiya a skeptical look.

"Do I want to know?" He asked, his voice strained and sleepy.

"Mmmm, probably not," Jiraiya gave a goofy smile in return. Sakura curiously glanced from man to man as the new face stared blankly at Jiraiya's stupid grin.

The man sighed, "Whatever." He proceeded to groggily trudge to the stair case and slowly crept up to the second floor. Sakura had followed his retreating form until he had disappeared from view.

"That was Iruka, he's a temp, but he mostly does a lot of Substitute work in schools."

Sakura nodded, and then took notice of her still clasped hand.

She cleared her throat and stated simply, "You can release my hand now." Jiraiya pouted slightly and released the petite hand from his vice-like grip. Jiraiya was just starting to think of her hands and other places they could be when the front door banged open so harshly that it came off its hinges.

Sakura stared wide-eyed at the door that had flew into the wall opposite the front door and now lay cracked and splintered on the carpeted floor. But when a rather large green clad figure caught her she quickly shifted her line of sight to the strange man that was to blame for the door's current position. He held a glint of triumph in his dark eyes that sat under some of the bushiest eyebrows Sakura had ever seen. The ridiculous bowl shaped haircut that the man sported only added to his odd appearance, but the strangest thing about him had to be his attire that consisted of a rather unsightly green jumpsuit with a plain brown fisherman's vest over his chest. Sakura's jaw had become unhinged at the sight of the odd man, but he hadn't noticed; instead he just walked merrily into the home with no remorse for the unfortunate door that had just been at the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Dammit Gai! That's the third door this week! Why do you even have a key if you're just going to kick the door in every time you come home?" Jiraiya groaned exasperatedly.

The man, Gai, gave a cocky smile in return and yelled a little too loudly, "Kicking the door in is very YOUTHFUL Jiraiya, so of course I would do it! When will you learn?"

Jiraiya sighed, "Sakura, this is Maito Gai, one of our roommates, though he is very close to being kicked out at this point."

Gai gave him a mock-surprised look at his comment but then looked at Sakura. She was unusually pretty. Her petite form clad in a tight football jersey and short shorts caught his eye even more so than her pink hair and full lips.

_Definitely my type of woman. Quite how you say YOUTHFUL!_

He grasped her hand and kissed it lightly before smirking and declaring quietly but still with a strong vigor, "Your youthful exterior is so very appealing and I must say that it is a pleasure making your aquaintance." He stared up at her under his very long feminine eyelashes in an attempt to appear seductive. She nodded and blushed at the gesture but couldn't help but find the man incredibly weird.

* * *

><p>"Yes, she. Her name is Sakura and she needed a place to stay, and I mean we have an extra room anyways so what's the problem?" Genma answered scratching the back of his head.<p>

Asuma smirked, "Let me guess, this girl is hot isn't she?"

Kakashi and Genma looked anywhere but Asuma in an attempt to avoid the question, only looking sheepish and guilty in result. Kotetsu and Izumo shared an excited grin, and before anyone noticed, they sprinted out the door to their separate cars and furiously skidded out of Bakauma's parking lot.

Kakashi and Genma stared open mouthed after the two realizing what they were up to, shared a heated glance and did the same as Kotetsu and Izumo.

Asuma placed his head in his hands and sighed, "Those idiots."

He locked down the building and drove a little too quickly towards home.

* * *

><p>They all arrived within seconds of each other, but Genma was the first to sprint into the house. He stopped at the missing front door and simply stared wide eyed at the image of Sakura in a gingham apron smacking Jiraiya over the head with a wooden spoon as she stood over a pot of something that smelled absolutely devine.<p>

"No Jiraiya. You may not taste it until everyone else gets here," Sakura chided the pouting white-haired man. He tried to protest, but with one glare from Sakura he quickly stepped back and allowed her to continue cooking.

Genma hadn't realized the other guys running after him as they neared closer and closer due to his drooling at the image of Sakura in something so femininely hot. The other guys trampled over him as they all attempted to get into the house at the same time, which only resulted in them all tumbling on top of each other and ending up face first and in a pile of flailing limbs on the floor.

"Ow..." Genma moaned from the bottom of the heap. There were several grunts and groans from the men as they tried to untangle themselves. Sakura, after hearing the commotion rushed to see what was the matter and gave a small giggle at the unfortunate positions the men were in. They all looked up at her in awe.

A small clinking sound from the kitchen brought Sakura's attention back to her stew and the aggravating man who had pleaded all night for a small taste.

"Jiraiya!" She stomped back to the stove where a guilty Jiraiya with his hand holding a spoon over the stew looked at her with a severe pout and tears in his eyes. She slapped his hand and pointed towards the living room.

"Out now, or you won't get any!"

He trudged sullenly back into the living room and flopped onto the couch with a sullen and hog-lipped face.

Iruka appeared from the stairs wearing a loose fitting t-shirt and plain blue boxer shorts along with a white towel draped around his face covering his damp hair. Sakura gave him a warm smile as he dried his hair and smelled the scent of stew.

"Is that real food I smell?" He asked as he stood over her. She gave him a bright smile and offered a spoonful of the stew. He gladly took it after blowing it to cool it down, enveloping the silverware with his thin lips.

"Delicious," he mumbled as he swallowed the spoonfull.

"Hey! How come he gets a taste?" Jiraiya shouted as he sprinted back into the kitchen to glare at Sakura and Iruka.

"Because he's not annoying."

Jiraiya assumed the fetal position at the low blow and rocked back and forth on the kitchen floor in a corner as he picked at his old jeans. Sakura rolled her eyes and added a pinch of salt to the stew. She sipped at it and smiled.

_Perfect._

"So Miss Cherry Blossom? How goes the youthful cooking adventures?" Gai inquired as he rounded a corner into the kitchen, hands on hips.

"It's ready to eat!" Sakura smiled then turned her attention to the five men who still sat on the floor, staring in awe at the young woman.

"Are you guys going to lay there all night?" Iruka asked as he grabbed a few bowls from one of the cabinets. The guys all coughed and quickly shuffled to their feet with embarrassed appearances.

Asuma, Kotetsu, and Izumo introduced themselves while Sakura dished out the stew to each individual as they sat at the dining room table. She smiled and gave similar greetings as she made sure that everyone was satisfied before taking care of herself, something she was used too. Her father always insisted on her doing anything and everything since her mother was the only one working and her father relied on unemployment and his numerous amounts of booze. And she'd be damned if she ever forgot even the smallest detail when it came to serving her father. His food had to be the correct temperature, his whiskey had to be served with exactly four perfect ice cubes, his silverware had to be washed twice, the food couldn't touch any of the other food items on the plate, and etc. If anything was out of place or not to his liking she was punished severely, bruised, punched, kicked, slapped, whipped, beaten, whatever he felt like that day.

Iruka noticed her attention to every detail, as her cute face scrunched up in a focused gaze while she served each man his large bowl of savory stew.

"You sure do pay attention to all the little details don't you?" He asked unabashedly, too exhausted from a long day of babysitting ten year-olds at the local elementary school to care if he sounded rude. Sakura stopped what she was doing and looked up at him, her eyes holding a certain amount of surprise at his comment. She gave an uneasy giggle and stated a simple, "force of habit I guess," in return. He sighed and stared at his stew, little wafts of steam carrying it's scent creeping upwards.

"Please be careful," Sakura began. "The stew is very hot."

"Ow, ow, ow. My fucking tongue!" Jiraiya screeched as he dropped his spoon onto the ground and fanned his searing tongue.

Izumo laughed, "You idiot!"

Sakura scurried to the floor and grabbed the spoon quickly in order to wash it. In a way, she had PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), but instead of gunshots igniting her symptoms, it was the thought of being punished for allowing a spoon to drop to the ground and dirty itself or for letting someone eat something that was so hot that it burns their tongue.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have made it so hot. I should have waited to serve it. It won't happen again I swear. I'll wash this off, please excuse me," Sakura said quickly. The men gazed at her strange turn in behavior. She had gone from giggling and happy to apologizing and frightened.

"Thakura, ith otay. I can take care of mythelf," Jiraiya commented, his words slurred by his drooping tongue. She shook her head and mumbled that she'd do it, it's okay and no need to get up for something so trivial.

She hastened to the kitchen and furiously cleaned the spoon, taking extra care to ensure the cleanliness of the silver utensil. The men shared look of surprise and confusion.

"The hell just happened?" Genma whispered quietly so Sakura wouldn't hear.

Asuma shrugged, surprise on his features, "I dunno, it's like she has tunnel vision or something." The other men nodded, but their conversation was ended quickly as she returned, sparkling spoon in hand. The men began eating, careful not to rehash the earlier events. Sakura stood and watched, a pained smile on her lips. Kakashi looked up and scrunched his eyebrows at her still form.

"Aren't you going to eat?" He asked, concern on his voice which tasted strange in his mouth. She looked at him as if he had three heads and raised her eyebrows.

"I'm supposed to wait until you guys are done aren't I?"

Kotetsu choked on his food at the comment and stared at her wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

"That doesn't seem youthful at all! Why would you not partake in the delicious eating of stew with us youthfully Cherry Blossom?" Gai asked between gulps. he had decided that he would continue to call her Cherry Blossom because it seemed youthful and fit her precious features.

Sakura didn't get it. Why were they upset? She was only doing what she was taught.

Kakashi stood from his seat and grabbed another bowl of stew and spoon, and placed it next to his own. He then walked up behind Sakura and lightly pushed her towards the empty seat. She stared at him, confusion all over her face.

"Eat," was all he said as he re-situated himself and continued to munch on the yummy home cooked meal.

She stared at the bowl, unsure of what to do, when a hand reached out and placed the spoon in her hand. She looked up to see Jiraiya as he went back to eating his own food. None of them would admit it, but they were all secretly watching her, anticipating her next move. She slowly raised her spoon, looking to Kakashi for permission. He gave a small nod and a sideways glance while she dipped the eating utensil into the broth, brought it to her lips, and ingested the contents. He gave a small smile and ruffled her hair. She looked around and noticed everyone's content faces, smiled, and brought another spoonful to her lips.

"So, Sakura how was your day?" Genma asked quietly.

Sakura tapped her spoon on her bottom lip and replied, "Well, we went shopping for some food, I explored the house a little bit, Jiraiya walked in on me half naked-"

"YOU WHAT?" Genma, Gai, Asuma, Kotetsu and Izumo screeched.

**_I know it's been a while and this was short, but to put it simply, Life got in the way. My grandmother broke her hip recently and it's been hell on me and my parents so I apologize for any late updates. _**

**_Please VOTE FOR THE GUYS. The poll is on my PORFILE :)._**

**_As for the younger contenders, just state someone you like in a message or review and I'll track it._**

**_Please review :) I love you guys!_**

**_Love,_**

**_Lexi _**


	4. Job Hunting with Iruka

_**I am sorry it's taken me so long, but it's been kind of a hard couple of months. But at least I wrote for you guys :D So here's the new chapter! Enjoy and please Review!**_

Sakura woke up the next day rather groggily only to find two large black caterpillars in her face. She reached out, her vision still blurry from sleep and grabbed one of the caterpillars with full force and power.

"Gah! Cherry Blossom! That hurts! Pulling my manly eyebrows is not very youthful!" A familiar voice screeched. Sakura's eyes popped open as she realized the fluffy caterpillars were in fact Gai's eyebrows. She pulled away quickly with a scream and with so much force that she became tangled in her sheets and toppled to the floor. Gai covered his ears with his large hands and gave her a glare.

"Are you always this loud in the morning?"

"Are you always going to be creepy and stand there in the morning and watch me while I sleep?" Sakura retorted, attempting to untangle herself from her green sheets. He pouted and crossed his arms.

"It is not creepy, it is youthful to enjoy your youthful and peaceful image," he grumbled at her "creepy" comment. Sakura rolled her eyes and shimmied out of her tangled sheets with little difficulty. Gai blushed at the sight of her small tank top and short shorts along with her disheveled pink tresses.

"Oh! Cherry Blossom! You're so cute and youthful!" Gai gushed as he squeezed her in an awkward embrace. Her full cheek was pressed so hard against his oddly firm pectorals that she could feel her teeth almost piercing the moist tender skin on the inside of her mouth.

"Gai-" she struggled, "Can't-breathe..."

In mere seconds Gai was thrown off of her petite form and landed somewhere in the hallway in a crippled mess of limbs. Sakura breathed in heavily and glanced up at her rescuer. Asuma stood there looking completely interested in his short uneven nails on his left hand, his right hand crossed around his torso.

"Thank you," she whispered up at him. A small almost unnoticeable smirk graced his lips, but disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. He cleared his throat and turned towards the opened door, but glanced behind him as he came to the door.

"I bought some breakfast," he mumbled awkwardly and quickly scurried out of the room as he shut the door. Sakura stared at the closed entrance for a few moments before blowing a pink strand of hair out of her face and sighing. She leaned against the bed frame for a second before thrusting her body into a standing position. She scratched the mess of pink locks groggily and walked toward the pastel green vanity that was situated in the corner of her room located next to the bay window balcony. She glanced at her ivory face and groaned, her hair sticking up in every direction possible.

She looked for a comb for a few moments before giving up and running her slender fingers through the tangled tresses. Giving up on taming the wild mane, she took one of her hair ties off of her wrist and forced her hair into a rather messy ponytail. Sakura rubbed her eyes and stared at her reflection. The discoloration on her cheek was almost invisible. A small sad smile formed upon her soft pink lips as she thought about her new life.

_I guess I can forget about my past now and just focus on finding a job and working hard._

**_Is it just me or is Gai buff?_**

_Where the hell did that come from?!_

**_Well when he was squeezing us, didn't you feel like he could crush us with his strong powerful arms and well-defined torso?_**

_Oh my Kami ewww! I can't believe you would ever even consider him as attractive! He's so gross! Why would you think something like that?_

**_Technically speaking, I'm you, so therefore YOU are the one who's thinking about it._**

_..._

**_What no retort?_**

_I have no words for that logic._

A knock came at Sakura's door. She turned quickly, brushing aside the revolting thoughts of Gai and her... together... and rushed to the door in order to greet the mystery intruder. A mess of silver hair upon a masculine face and a bare perfect tan torso made Skaura's heart beat faster and her face turn three shades of red.

_**Kami that man is hella hot!**_

Kakashi placed a muscular arm over her head and onto the door frame. He was so much taller than her that she had to crane her neck in order to look him in the eyes, which was a pleasant distraction from the blaringly beautiful abs that flexed with each movement he made and made her stomach tie in knots at the thought of running her slender hands over their rippled form. She noticed how dark and mysterious his eyes were, and just how much more appealing they made him. Her breath came out in short shaky puffs as he smiled a lazy crooked smile at her.

"Aren't you going to come eat breakfast?" His voice was so deep and sleepy and... sexual. Sakura almost made a motion to wipe imaginary drool off of her open lips, but stopped herself and instead gulped hard and nodded. He flashed his brilliantly white teeth at her and slowly lowered his hand toward her hip and around to her lower back.

"Then let's go shall we?"

**_Let's go to bed! I want to learn the ways of love making!_**

_Shut up!_

_**Quit being a pussy, RAPE GIRL RAPE!**  
><em>

_How are we even the same person?_

Kakashi led Sakura's tingling body toward the stairs, and guided her down to the kitchen where all of the semi dressed men stood in random positions.

**_I think I just entered heaven._** Sakura's inner-self sing-songed.

_I'm not going to disagree with you this time..._

Sakura took a seat in between Genma and Kakashi and was served a large helping of pastries and orange juice. The glazed donuts were obviously fresh, the thick sugary coating dripping off the sides of the warm doughy circle, pooling on the sides in little sticky puddles. She dipped her pointer finger into the warm sweet liquid and raised it to her mouth, not noticing the eight pairs of eyes that followed the slow movement. She slowly, innocently licked the saccharine frosting and drew her small wet muscle back into her full pink lips. She sighed at the delicious taste and placed her finger in her mouth entirely to savor the remnants.

A loud thud was heard from across the room and Sakura looked up quickly to find Jiraiya lying on the floor unconscious with his nose bleeding profusely. Gai stood over him, a mysterious trickle of blood leaking from his nostril as well, giggling like a school girl. Kakashi and Genma gave each other stupid grins as if they had just shared some inside joke, Kotetsu and Izumo stared open-mouthed and wide-eyed, while Asuma and Iruka simply smirked and looked at their coffee mugs. Sakura looked at the men, confused beyond belief, but shrugged, rolled her eyes and proceeded to eat the delectable doughnuts and drink her orange juice.

"So, Sakura, what's on your agenda today?" Iruka asked, bringing his piping hot black coffee to his thin lips and glancing up at the munching girl. Sakura flashed her viridian eyes up at the man, her cheeks full of half macerated pastry. She swallowed roughly and swigged some orange juice before answering his question.

"Well," she began, "I guess I'm job hunting today. Though I need to find a means of transportation to get around town. I'll probably call Ino since today is her day off..." Her voice trailed off as she considered her predicament. How would she get around town? She didn't have a car, and the guys probably wouldn't be able to give her a ride. Knowing Naruto, he's probably been bumming rides from friends or Hinata. She sighed heavily and popped another piece of doughnut in her mouth.

_Why can't anything ever just be easy?_

**_Because this is all a sign saying that you need to just rely on these guys to provide for you. Maybe you can become a reverse polygamist and have eight husbands instead of a guy having eight wives? Eh? Eh? Sounds like a damn good plan to me._**

Sakura stopped to consider the scenario then quickly shook the thoughts away.

_You're an idiot, and that's a terrible idea._

**_Again, I'm you, so you're calling yourself an idiot. It seems like you keep making this mistake._**

_Yeah well, shut up._

"I could take you."

Sakura was taken out of the tumultuous feud in her mind by a masculine voice and the tempting proposition. She glanced around to find Iruka staring intently at her. She really didn't know how she felt about him taking her around town; she had only spoken a few times to him and it was normally pleasant but very brief.

Genma stood quickly, his protein shake spilling all over the table, though he didn't notice. How dare Iruka offer Sakura a ride! If anyone was driving her around town it would be him, and Kami help anyone who objects.

"No way! I'll take her!" He shouted loudly, not even paying attention to the frantic Sakura, her past coming back to her. She rapidly sprinted to the kitchen mumbling apologies along the way, and grabbed the roll of paper towels on the counter beside the stove. She quickly wet a few and wrung them out, frightened and flustered. She rushed back into the dining area to sop up the sticky mess Genma made, not taking into account all of the worried faces surrounding her. She dabbed the towels on the table, and began to scrub, trying to soak up the syrupy liquid.

Her rose colored eyebrows scrunched in concentration as she continued the ministrations on the lifting goo. Her hand stilled as a warm, tan larger hand rested gently but firmly on her's. She looked up confused at Kakashi's worried expression.

"Sakura," he began calmly, "Why do you do stuff like this?"

Sakura's eyes widened and she gulped hard.

She cleared her throat before speaking, trying to think of the words to say, "I just dislike messes?"

Kakashi lifted a silver brow at her meager attempt to throw them off. Her lip quivered as she looked back at the once messy table, the protein shake cleaned completely. She sighed and pushed Kakashi's hand off as she made her way back to the kitchen to throw away the used paper towels. She washed her hands in the sink, her mind running a million miles a minute.

**_They're going to find out eventually... You know that right?_**

_Not if I can help it. I don't want to burden them with my past. Besides it is in the past after all... I mean they've done so much for me in such a short period of time, I can't very well say anything about myself that might change their opinions of me._

**_You think they're going to change their opinions of you? If anything they'd probably be pissed off with your dad. Hell, it might benefit you to tell them. Maybe they'll go kick his ass!_**

_It's not an option okay? I don't want them to think I'm damaged goods or anything... I've already gone through hell, and it's nice here. I don't want to ruin anything, besides, they're too busy to hear about my problems. I mean I don't want to bother them, so let's just leave it at that. I shouldn't tell them anything._

**_You're an idiot._**

Sakura sighed quietly to herself, "I know."

"What do you 'know'?" A masculine voice asked, causing Sakura to squeak in surprise. She turned towards the door of the kitchen to see Iruka leaning against the frame. She gave him a broad slightly guilty smile and shook her head quickly. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Look, I worked it out with Genma. I'll be giving you a ride around town, so go get ready."

Sakura's eyes widened, and she quickly nodded in response and finished drying her hands and scurried past him and towards her room, not noticing Genma's brooding expression as he sat and poked at his half eaten bagel. She closed and locked her door and jumped over to the wardrobe, shuffling through the different outfit choices quickly. She didn't want to make Iruka wait, seeing as how kind he was being just to give her a ride out of the blue. She grabbed a light pink bra and a random pair of underwear, along with a loose white v-neck and some black leggings.

After getting dressed, she surveyed her outfit in her vanity mirror and decided that it was nice enough to go talk to a few employers. She arranged her hair in a nicer more pulled back and slick ponytail and made up her face a little, settling for some foundation, blush, mascara and eyeliner. Satisfied with her appearance she rustled around her room looking for her wallet and purse. She found the Purple tote easily enough and grabbed the pink and green wallet off of her dresser. Sakura glanced around the room once more, making sure she had everything, before nodding in contentment and shuffling out the door, closing it behind her.

As she made her way down the stairs, a loud wolf-whistle echoed at the end. Sakura looked down to find Jiraiya, awake from his perverted stupor, looking her up and down with a cat-like grin. Sakura scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on Princess! It's a compliment," Jiraiya whined at her cast-off action.

"Really? Sounded more like a perverted pass to me," Sakura snorted as she walked past the older man. He pouted at her comment, but his eyes lit up as she passed him, her full round hips swaying naturally. He reached out his large hand and pinched her rear teasingly, giggling as he did so. Sakura gasped and turned, her face bright red and her eyes flaming. Jiraiya gulped at the sight of Sakura's sudden change in demeanor. She was livid, and boy did he know it.

A loud _smack_ could be heard from the dining room where the other men sat, eating the remnants of their breakfast. They all looked up to see a seething Sakura, followed by a sobbing Jiraiya who was holding his blood-red cheek in his hand.

"Sakura! It was just a joke! You didn't have to hit me so hard!" He cried great big crocodile tears as she ignored him and continued to walk towards Iruka, her arms crossed angrily across her chest.

"Well next time you think of making a joke, leave the pinching of my ass out of it. Iruka, I am ready to go when you are."

All seven pairs of eyes of the other men were glaring bullets at Jiraiya who cowered behind one of the dining chairs. Sakura grabbed Iruka's hand as he stared hard at Jiraiya and pulled him out of the house and towards his car. Iruka huffed an irritated sigh and followed Sakura willingly. Just as they stepped to his plain green Nissan, a giant howl of pain could be heard from the house and several _bangs_ and _booms_ filled the air as Jiraiya was beaten. Sakura and Iruka simply ignored this and continued on their mission to find a job for Sakura.

696969

They searched.

And they searched.

And they **_searched_**.

Iruka and Sakura could not for the life of them find anyone who was hiring. They went everywhere in Konoha. Literally. Even the not so morally well-to-do places. Sakura was practically on the brink of tears when they stopped looking for work and took a break to get a bite to eat. They were already at the local mall, so they just went to the food court where Iruka ordered some burgers and fries and Sakura sat at one of the little tables in a corner and sulked, her shoulders slumped and her head in her hands.

_It's hopeless! I'll never find work!_

**_I know, and to think, even the strip-clubs wouldn't take us! _**

_Well, Iruka wasn't exactly pleased with that idea, and neither was I. Plus, they don't allow seventeen-year-old girls to work there._

**_Oh come on! You're telling me that you wouldn't like to learn a couple of moves that you could try on the guys?_**

_..._

**_What?_**

_*facepalm*_

"Cheesburger, just cheese and lettuce and a large fry. Here you go," Iruka announced as he took his seat across from Sakura. She stared at the greasy burger and sighed, poking at the gooey cheese.

Iruka stared at the young woman sadly. He knew this had to be hard for her. Hell, finding work for himself was difficult until he decided to start subbing for elementary schools. Sure kids drove him nuts, but he liked it for the most part. Instinctively, he reached out and grabbed one of her hands. Her eyes shot up with her head to look at him startled. A small tear that she had been fighting slipped from her watery eyes. Iruka's heart ached at the sight. He didn't understand why she had such a hold on him, after all they had only known each other for a few days, but he couldn't help but find her atractive and sort of magnetic, though he noticed the same pull on all the other guys. Sakura just had this pull on people, even the women she interviewed with. Something about her just draws people to her.

He reached out his other hand and lightly brushed the tear away with his thumb, cupping her cheek in his hand. The warmth of his calloused fingers felt nice against her smooth cool skin. She closed her eyes to force the tears back and reopened them when Iruka's hand left her face.

She sighed and rubbed her temples.

"What am I going to do Iruka? If I don't get a job, then I can't pay rent. If I can't pay rent then I can't keep living with you guys, or anyone really. I'm screwed."

Iruka gave a small smile and replied, "There's no way in hell that any of us are going to kick you out."

Sakura looked back up at him, "But I'm just taking up space if I'm not contributing and paying my dues. I don't want to be a burden."

Iruka scoffed at the comment and shook his head.

"You think you're a burden? Please, we like having you there. It actually relieves some of the tension between all of us. Puts a little estrogen in the mix."

"Although it creates some too..." Iruka muttered inaudibly. It was true. Tensions had been higher before Sakura came into the picture, though competitiveness became more prevalent, each guy vying for her attention. Hell, the way he "worked things out" with Genma was by threatening to take all of his toothpicks and burn them. (Genma's trying to quit smoking so he has to have somehing in his mouth at all times) Genma pouted and sat down, not having a retort or opposing threat. Iruka noticed though that Genma wasn't the only one who was upset that he was getting to take Sakura around town, but they all had work so they all silently sulked.

Sakura had a sudden burst of energy and stood, taking Iruka's mind off the subject of the events of this morning.

She fist-pumped the air and yelled, "I can't give up! I'll do whatever it takes!"

She then proceeded to sit back down quickly and scarf down the burger and fries. Iruka watched surprised, along with all the other mall patrons in the immediate vicinity. He stared a few more seconds before chuckling softly and joining her in eating.

696969

Sakura still didn't have much luck, but she decided to stay positive about the matter. Sure it may take a while for her to get on her feet, but after talking with Iruka she felt that she had the ability to do anything, and she would find a job.

They were both exhausted by the time they got home, crashing on the sofa. The others were still at work, so they were alone.

Iruka groaned and sat up, running his large calloused hand through his disheveled hair. Sakura giggled at the mess of hair on his head that continued to get messier by the second. Iruka stopped and stared at her as she tried to contain her chortling. His eyebrows narrowed which just made him look funnier to Sakura. She couldn't help herself, she started laughing so hard her abs hurt. He looked like Einstein on steroids; his hair was literally nearing afro proportions.

"What?" He asked, confused.

She pointed at his hair and continued to laugh.

"You think my hair is funny do you?" He asked, in a mischievous tone. Sakura just nodded still giggling. His smile grew wide and he pounced on her. He began to tickle her sides and flat belly. She rolled around trying to get out of his grasp and laughing so hard she was close to tears.

"No *gasp* Haha! Iruka! Uncle uncle!" She giggled. He stopped, straddling her waist, hands holding hers above her head on the couch. She pouted and glared at him while he just smirked triumphantly.

"Not fair you jerk," She muttered. He chuckled and stared at her. Sakura was pinned underneath him with nowhere to go, though she didn't mind too much. Hell, would you care if some beautiful man was straddling you? She looked back up at him and they just stared at each other for a few moments before he began to lean down. He knew he shouldn't even think of doing this, but Kami she just looked so nice and her lips were parted, and he just couldn't help himself.

Sakura took a sharp inhalation of air as he neared her face, staring at his lips the whole time.

_Oh shit. Oh. shit. Oh shit._

**_Oh yes! Oh yes! Oh yes!_**

The front door burst open, effectively killing the mood. Before he could be murdered, Iruka quickly got off of Sakura and went to the kitchen, acting like nothing happened. Sakura sat up and stared after him shocked and confused. Asuma and Kakashi walked in, greeting her before turning on the television and surfing the channels before settling on the football game.

_**Damn.**_

_**Please go vote for the guy you want! The poll is on my profile. And leave a review if you love me! Leave a comment saying which younger suitor you'd like to compete for Sakura's affections.**_


	5. Secret Uncovered & a Happy Announcement

_**I'm so sorry it's taken so long. I was just super uninspired for a while, but I'm back now! Keep up the reviews and I'll try my best to write ASAP :). The poll is still going on so please go vote for who you want Sakura to end up with. Just click on my profile and it should be right there :). Also, what younger guys do you think I should have contend for Sakura's affections? Tell me in a review or inbox me :). Enjoy the story!**_

Sakura had been searching for work for what seemed like ages, which in reality was only four days. The guys took turns taking her around town asking for work. She even applied online and put up an add on Craigslist. She was desperate and the guys knew it. They all tried racking their brains for what places were hiring, but Konoha wasn't that big of a town. It was going to be hard to get Sakura a job, and they all knew it.

Sakura sat at the kitchen table with a newspaper scanning for any help wanted adds. To her dismay, there were none, there was however several puppies up for adoption. She started to contemplate getting a puppy once she had a job and a little cash flow. Today was Saturday and most of the guys were off work and the rest were only working half-days. Sakura had called Ino the day before and the two planned on hanging out at the house, which Sakura had gotten permission from Jiraiya first. Of course _he_ didn't object, another pretty girl in the house? He would never turn down an opportunity like that. Pervert. Sakura was excited at the prospect of having a girlfriend, someone she could talk to about her day, the stress in her life, and the mixed bag of feelings she had for the eight men she happened to be shacking up with.

She had grown to accept the fact that they were her roommates, and was trying as hard as she could to not have any... further interest in them other than companionship. She was failing pretty hard at it. She couldn't help but ogle them as they pranced around wearing boxers and nothing else, coming out of the shower with their muscular bodies all steamy and wet and glistening. It was hard for her to control herself around them. So hard.

As she sat at the table contemplating whether she would want a Boxer puppy or a German Sheppard, Kakashi strode in wearing nothing but a fluffy white towel wrapped around his waist. Sakura stopped all she was doing nd watched him like a hawk as he made his way to the refrigerator and pulled out a sports drink. He gulped some of it down and a few little blue droplets passed his lips and dripped down his chin, onto his wide neck, and down to his glistening pectoral.

Sakura dropped her pencil and gulped hard at the sight. Images of Kakashi playing with puppies in nothing but a towel flooded her mind. She blushed at the thought and quickly pushed the fantasy out of her mind. She tried to focus on the newspaper again with much difficulty.

Kakashi smirked at her squirming at his presence. He noticed how flustered she'd get whenever he walked in straight out of the shower. It gave him thrill knowing that he had that effect on the pretty girl. He pretended to yawn and flexed his biceps rather blatantly and Sakura nearly fell off her chair she was so entranced.

Iruka cleared his throat at the entrance to the kitchen and gave Kakakshi a skeptical look.

"Can't you dry off and put some clothes on? You're grossing me out."

Kakashi smirked and raised his arms over his head, flexing his triceps boldly.

"Aw don't be jealous Iruka, it just comes with the territory of being a trainer. Hey, maybe you should come in next week for an appointment, you could be in as great of shape as me if you really wanted."

Iruka glared then smirked and pulled up his shirt showing off lean but toned abs.

"I think I'm good."

Kakashi's smirk dropped but reappeared as he turned his attention back to Sakura who was almost foaming at the mouth.

"How goes job searching?" He asked.

Sakura shook herself out of the trance the two attractive men had cast and attempted to look Kakashi in the eyes and not in the abs as she answered him.

"Still nothing, though there are several cute puppy litters up for adoption."

The two men chuckled as the doorbell rang loudly. Sakura smiled broadly and sprinted to the door, tripping over her own two feet along the way. She ripped the battered door open and hugged the female on the other side. Ino laughed at Sakura's embrace and hugged her back tightly. Sakura giggled and jumped up and down her excitement unbearable.

"Hey Sakura," Ino laughed. Sakura grabbed Ino's hands and bound upstairs so quickly the guys didn't even get a chance to say hello. All they got was a blurred image of blonde and pink and the startled look on Ino's face as she was dragged behind the petite Sakura.

Iruka looked back at Kakashi who had picked up the newspaper forgotten by Sakura off the table. Iruka had wished that he hadn't chickened out of going a little further with Sakura on the couch the other night. He had replayed the scenario again and again in his head, thinking of all the different ways the night could have turned out. He had dreamt of smothering her lips with his own and picking her up and gallivanting off to his room to have his way with her. Kami he wanted to kiss her all over, every little piece of flesh and every nook and cranny of her supple pale skin. But Iruka, as always, was a coward. He was too afraid of rejection and the thought of all the crap the guys would give him if he had acted on his feelings deterred poor Iruka away from what he wanted. Did Sakura even like him like that? He was one of the oldest guys in the house, still younger than Jiraiya luckily, but he wasn't sure if Sakura may have thought his advances to be creepy considering the age differece.

_Come to think of it... How old is Sakura?_

Iruka tried to think of a time when she had expressed or hinted at her age, and he came up with nothing. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion and he looked up at Kakashi who had made himself some coffee and was sitting at the bar still in his towel reading his newspaper and sipping from his mug.

"Kakashi?" Iruka started.

"Hm?" Kakashi replied, not really interested in his roommate. He was engrossed in an article about how certain stimulants can increase muscle size but can decrease brain function and hinder one's ability to sleep. He liked to know about all the effects so he could steer his clients and himself away from harmful stimulants and towards healthy ones.

"How old is Sakura?"

Her name is what made Kakashi look up, but he balked at the question. How old was Sakura? She couldn't be over twenty-one, she seemed too mature to be much younger though. He searched his brain for a time when she had mentioned it, and he found none.

"I... I have no clue."

They gave each other a strange look.

_How old is she? Not only that, but... Why is she on her own? Genma and I never really got a straight up answer from her..._

* * *

><p>"So what's up girlie?"<p>

"Well where do I start?" Sakura chuckled, her eyes bright and her smile wide.

Ino tapped her perfectly manicured finger on her small chin and considered all of her questions for her young new friend.

"How's it feel to live with a bunch of guys?"

Sakura sighed, "Difficult. They're all really great don't get me wrong, but that's half the problem! They're all so darn good-looking and sweet and caring that it makes it hard for me to focus sometimes. Plus it's so hard to have a cordial platonic relationship with all of them when they're all strutting around the place shirtless and half naked. I literally have to keep my mouth closed tightly in order to not drool half the time!"

Ino gave a hearty chuckle with a little snort at the end.

"Well, is there anyone you like specifically?" She asked, her chuckles subsiding.

Sakura considered all of the guys cool and good looking. She thought Gai was funny and crazy, but she wasn't incredibly attracted to him, Jiraiya was too much of a pervert to really consider. Asuma was pretty protective and sexy with that unlit cigarette always hanging out of his large lips, Genma was a cutie and Sakura was pretty sure he had a thing for her though he seemed a little too possessive, she hadn't spent much time with Izumo or Kotetsu but they both had that alluring mystery about them, Iruka was so sweet and after that night on the couch Sakura had a few interesting thoughts about him plus he's so darn cute. and then there was Kakashi. Words cannot explain how brutally hot Kakashi was. He was almost always the first one in the morning to say hello, he'd been the one to try and keep her calm when she'd go into PTSD mode, and he was almost always showing off that gorgeous body of his.

Sakura sighed dreamily, "Kakashi is definitely at the top right now, but I dunno, I think all of the guys are really great. And I think Kakashi probably wouldn't have a thing for someone like me..."

"Someone like you? Sakura you're gorgeous, I'm pretty sure all these guys waltz around half-naked just to get your attention. They'd be crazy to not all have a thing for you!"

Sakura shook her head, embarrassed with Ino's accusations. Ino huffed, the long chunk of platinum blonde hair moving with the motion showing the other brilliant blue eye that rested behind it.

"How about job hunting? Any luck?"

Sakura frowned, her full lips poking out in a cute pout.

"No. I have literally looked everywhere and no one is hiring. It's making me crazy living here without paying my dues, I feel so bad seeing the guys work so hard, and I'm just sitting here twiddling my thumbs waiting for an opportunity. I mean, what's wrong with me? I know I don't have any experience, but even entry level jobs won't take me! It's seriously starting to make me go crazy."

Sakura through her arms up with the last syllable and collapsed onto her bed from her sitting position.

"You've never had a job before? I'd assume that you've at least had a little experience being as old as you are."

Sakura looked at Ino quizzically, "What do you mean as old as I am?"

"Aren't you in your twenties?"

"No."

Ino was shocked at the blatant answer. She was positive Sakura had to at least be twenty, if not twenty-one.

"How old are you?"

"I'm seventeen. I thought I told you that," Sakura stated confused as to why ino was so confused. Had she really not told her? Come to think of it, had she told the guys? She must have told the guys. She isn't that stupid.

**_I dunno you can be pretty dumb._**

_Shut up._

"What?! You're seventeen! I thought you were at least twenty! Jeez girl, you're living with a bunch of old dudes and you're a minor? Holy crap I can't believe this! Do they know? Have you told them?" Ino was bewildered. She couldn't believe Sakura was so young, on her own, and living with a bunch of guys in their twenties and thirties.

"Jeez one question at a time Ino, calm down. It's not that big of a deal. I mean, I'm out of high school and I turn eighteen in three months."

Ino breathed a few moments still staring at Sakura wide-eyed.

"Ino?"

Ino swallowed and asked more calmly, "Do your roommates know?"

Sakura tried to think of whether or not she had told them, and could not remember if she had or not.

"I don't know, I thought I told them, but I guess I didn't..."

"Don't tell them. At least not yet. I don't want you getting kicked out or anything just because of your age."

Sakura looked at Ino horrified. Would they actually kick her out for her age? Sakura couldn't even fathom what she would do if that were to happen. She was already worried enough with trying to keep her past a secret, now she has to worry about her age too? There was literally nowhere for her to go. She found herself stuck between a rock and a hard place. Should she tell them her age? Should she keep it a secret? She was already keeping so much from them already.

Sakura placed her hand in her hands and sat quietly as she contemplated what to do. She thought back to when Iruka had said that they would never kick her out. Could what he said really be true? Would they keep her?

"Ugh! I just don't know what to do Ino!" Sakura exclaimed exasperated. Ino rubbed her temples and sighed.

"Just... let time inform them. It really is only a matter of time after all before they find out, but for now just hope for the best I guess."

Sakura's shoulders slumped and she buried her porcelain face in her big fluffy pillow and muffled a scream.

_Why is everything so freaking complicated?_

**_Because you're dad is a dick, you're underage, you have no job, and you're shacking up with eight guys that know practically nothing about you because of all the secrets you're forcing yourself to keep._**

_Thanks for summing it up._

**_No problem._**

Ino placed a comforting hand on Sakura's shoulder. She knew it must be hard on the younger girl. Ino figured that it really would be hard for Sakura to find a good job that pays enough. Hell, Ino had to sell roses on the street for a year before she made enough to get her own little shop. She was a success story in her own right. But her story isn't all that common; she worked hard and was rewarded for it, now her business is booming. Although come to think of it, she was getting an awful lot of business. It was wedding season after all, it was only natural for a flower boutique to be popular this time of year. In fact, it was so busy Ino had found herself kid of stressed lately with the work load. She had to take calls, help walk-ins, get ready for prom and homecoming season which coincided with wedding season, handle the finances, create arrangements varying in flower type price and size. She could actually use some help.

Ino gasped at the realization. What if Sakura came and worked for her? It could work! Sakura seemed like a hardworking individual with a can-do attitude, plus she's cute, what guy wouldn't want to buy flowers from her?

Sakura looked up startled at the wide-eyed and open-mouthed Ino. Ino's eyes pierced holes into Skura as her mouth morphed into a large pearly grin.

"Ino?"

"Come work for me!"

"What?"

Ino took Sakura's hands into her's and looked her directly into the eyes.

"Come work for me. I actually need some help at the shop and you'd be perfect! I've been so swamped lately that it's actually been putting a lot of strain on me personally. I mean I can't pay you a lot but at least it's work. And just think, you can work with me part time and job search the other part. This can give you some experience and get your foot in the door. Plus I have all kinds of business men come in buying flowers for their significant others all the time, you never know they could offer you a job too! Come work for me Sakura."

Sakura became more and more excited with every syllable the blonde uttered. Working for Ino with all those beautiful flowers? It was like a dream come true! She could start out with her for a while, and hell maybe she'd really like it and they'd find a way for her to be full time! The possibilities were endless with this offer, and it was definitely an offer Sakura could not refuse.

**_What are you waiting for dumbass?! Accept it already!_**

"I would love too!" Sakura exclaimed, embracing Ino tightly. Ino hugged back and laughed happily.

Sakura was ecstatic. Of course she would still look around for other work, but for now she just wanted to celebrate. She wanted to sprint downstairs and share the good news with the guys. She wanted to tell Naruto. She wanted to scream it to the world! She had a job. The pay and the hours didn't even matter to her because Sakura was just exuberant at the prospect of working at all. It felt like the Heavens were smiling down at her on this day.

Sakura's emotions had changed so drastically in the past hour. From being down in the dumps to flying high in the sky, she felt as if she had been on a roller coaster that ultimately ended up giving her a rush of adrenaline and serotonin.

"Oh my gosh I'm so happy!" Sakura laughed, tears starting to pool at the corners of her eyes. She leaned back releasing Ino from the embrace and gave her a big teary eyed smile.

"I promise to work super hard! I won't let you down Ino I swear. I'll be the best employee you could ever ask for! Thank you so so so so so so so so much!"

Ino laughed heartily and nodded, "I'm sure you will, and trust _me_ you're doing me a favor!"

* * *

><p>Kakashi had gone to his room at some point when Gai had come home, kicking the door in and screaming about youth. He and Iruka had decided to keep the question of Sakura's age to themselves and had parted their separate ways in the house to be on their own.<p>

He hadn't even gotten totally dressed, though he wore a pair of tight black boxers that left little to nothing for the imagination. He was so engrossed in all his thoughts about the girl down the hall. How old was she? Why was she on her own? Why did it seem like her effervescent personality could change so drastically to one of timidness and fear with the smallest of messes? She was beautiful and funny and smart, what did she have to fear?

The most haunting question he had was why someone like her was on her own. He remembered seeing a faint bruise on her cheek when he had first met her, though he knew not to meddle in her personal affairs when they had just met. She seemed so innocent, though she could come back with a biting retort if anyone gave her crap. She confused the hell out of Kakashi. Kami knows how badly he just wanted to understand what all she was going through. He knew the other guys worried about her too, especially when she'd go into panic whenever one of them made a mess around her. They had gotten to a point where they would take extra caution to keep things clean and be careful not to make any messes accidentally or deliberately around her.

Kakashi normally had an easy time reading people, their faces, emotions, and actions acting as open-books. But Sakura wasn't opening that book anytime soon. One moment she'd seem like a sweet innocent young woman with nothing to hide, next she seemed like a panicked refugee from a war in her past.

What had happened to her to make her act the way she does? Kakashi couldn't even begin to figure it out.

He stared up at his blue ceiling, his muscular arm thrown over his forehead as he brooded over his thoughts. He closed his dark grey eyes and pictured Sakura, her petite body, rose-colored hair, and those mesmerizing emerald eyes. She really was gorgeous, though it seemed like she didn't know it. He thought of her smile and how suited it was to her. He loved seeing her smile, it felt like her other frightened personality would just disintegrate whenever she gave that bright broad smile.

Kakashi opened his eyes and furrowed his brow.

_I'll make sure she always has a smile._

* * *

><p>Sakura was so excited about her new job that she grabbed Ino once again by the hands and sprinted downstairs to tell the guys the good news. By then everyone had gotten home and had settled down into the sofa to watch some comedy show Sakura didn't recognize.<p>

Kakashi had heard her and her friend crash through her door and stomp hurriedly down the stairs. Kakashi chuckled and put some old jeans on and headed downstairs to see what all the commotion was about.

Sakura quickly let go of Ino and stood in front of the television in order to get everyone's attention just as Kakashi rounded the corner to join the group. Ino stood laughing in the archway that led towards the front door, the poor door looking even worse than usual, s the younger girl cleared her throat, a broad genuine grin sitting on her triumphant face. The guys all stared at her incredulously waiting for her to make her announcement.

"I, Sakura Haruno, now have a paying job!"


	6. Hurry Up and Get Ready

**Yes yes my dears, I'm back. I can't really make excuses as to why I haven't updated in forever. The only real reason is due to the lack of a computer for the past five months, which is why I am currently updating** **this from my** **phone, which is a very long very aggravating process. Anyway, the poll is still up! Go vote darlings :). So far Kakashi is in the lead, Genma right behind, and then Iruka, and Gai and Kotetsu are tied for the last place with one vote each. I actually have the next chapter written, and when I say written I mean actually written like on paper with ink. I'll post it as soon as possible :p. **

**Please review my lovelys~**

**love Lexi**

The guys were ecstatic for Sakura; just seeing her excited made them all happy.

"What kind of job is it?" Kotetsu was the first to speak up.

Sakura puffed up proudly, a wide grin on her face, "I'm going to be helping Ino here at her flower shop."

Gai gushed, squirming in his seat, "Ah! So our little cherry blossom will be selling blossoms! So youthful! So cute!"

Sakura was too excited to care about Gai's nickname for her; she couldn't believe how well her fate had turned out. She felt like the luckiest girl in the world. She had a job, and friends and a place to call home. She looked at all of the happy faces and excited gestures.

The young woman felt so fortunate to have this many wonderful people supporting her and her ambitions, she couldn't imagine her life without these crazy amazing people.

**_Just don't let them know how old you are._**

Sakura paused at that thought. What if they did find out she was only seventeen? How would they feel if they found out? Her heart sank just thinking about it.

_Would they still be happy? Would they_ _support me anymore?_

**_I don't know, you did lie. It's not exactly easy to forgive someone for that._**

_I didn't lie... I just haven't told_ _them everything._

**_Same thing._**

Kakashi was the only one to notice Sakura's change in emotion. Her white smile had faltered and turned into a sad half-smile. What had happened to make her suddenly so sad? What turned that beautiful true smile into one that was half-assed and pathetic? He could have sworn he saw a small tear well in the corner of her emerald eyes, but before he could go to her, Jiraiya leapt out of his seat and fist pumped the air excitedly.

"This calls for a celebration! Let's go to Bakauma and get shit-faced!"

Everyone agreed eagerly and followed suit, standing and getting ready to go to their rooms and get dressed for the occasion.

Kakashi glanced quickly back to Sakura, who had a forced smile plastered on her face. But he knew better, he could clearly see a hint of sadness in her eyes. He hated seeing that false smile. He wouldn't rest until he saw her smile reach her eyes.

_I need to get her alone and_ _figure out what's wrong._

"Okay, everyone go get ready, let's try to be out in thirty minutes," Asuma took charge, moving his unlit cigarette from one corner of his mouth to the other.

* * *

><p>Ino searched through Sakura's drawers and closet for something she could dress Sakura up in to make them then drool. Ino's look on the other hand, needed no work whatsoever. Her hair was piled up in a perfect ponytail, and she wore a sexy black V-neck with a tight little blue miniskirt and some cute powder blue pumps to finish it off.<p>

Sakura's closet was full of plain shirts, jeans, and shorts, hardly something you'd wear to get attention.

"Jeez woman, don't you have a single sexy dress?" Ino sighed as she pushed some more shirts around.

There was no reply. Ino turn to see Sakura sitting on the edge of her bed staring at our hands. A worried expression crossed Ino's features.

"Sakura? Are you okay?"

The pink haired woman snapped out of her trance and looked up at Ino bewildered, as if she had been brought back from a different world all of a sudden.

She smiled sheepishly and replied with a quick, "Oh yeah I'm fine!"

Sakura laughed awkwardly in a sorry attempt to appear alright. Ino looked at her young friend for a few seconds; she wasn't fooled but by the look on her friend's face, she knew not to push the subject further. She turned and continue to look for an outfit for Sakura.

Sakura sighed quietly and looked back at her pale white hands that rested on her lap.

**_Liar._**

_Shut up._

**_What? I'm just telling the truth unlike you. How can you keep up this façade? How can you keep lying to them? The guys will find out. Why don't you just tell them? It will make everything easier and_** **_for the better._**

_No it won't! What if they kick me out? What if they hate me? I couldn't live with myself if they hated me... I'd_ _be all on my own again, with no where to turn._

Sakura's inner sighed at the woman's petulance.

**_I hope you know what you're doing._**

"Ah-ha!"

Sakura looked up, startled out of her inner fued. Ino stood there proudly holding a little black dress that Sakura had completely forgotten about purchasing. She had bought it for her homecoming back when she was still in high school, though she never got to wear it. Her father had forbidden her from going, and when Sakura had try to sneak out and go anyway, he had beaten her so brutally that she had to miss a week and a half of school.

She shivered at the memory but shook it off.

_Come on, it's a day to celebrate. I shouldn't_ _be thinking of him right now_.

**_Cha! You should be thinking of how sexy you'll look in that little number! They'll totally want to have their way with you! On this night! So many beautiful fantasies will come true!_**

Sakura rolled her eyes at how quickly her inner liked to change her attitude.

She looked back at the dress and blushed. It was a short, tight little number that was backless and oozed sex appeal.

_What was I thinking when_ _I bought that?_

**_That you wanted to get laid?_**

_Oh my Kami shut up!_

Ino grinned and pounced toward Sakura, who did not even have time to think of a way to avoid the attack.

* * *

><p>The men had been waiting in the living room for what felt like an hour. It was Kakashi who decided to check on the girls before any of the other guys could volunteer. He mostly did it so that he could get Sakura alone.<p>

He sauntered quickly up the grand staircase, his hands deep in his pockets. He looked great in his simple white V-neck, old jeans and tailored blazer. He wore the blazer simply because it gave him just a little extra sex appeal, not that he needed it.

Stopping at Sakura's door, he hesitated before knocking. Why was he so nervous? No other woman had ever had this effect on him, but Sakura was definitely different.

His heart was pounding and butterflies filled his stomach. It felt like he was back in high school knocking on his prom date's door and her father answering it, asking him of his intentions, which at the time he had none. He shook his head ignoring the strange sensation in his stomach and knocked firmly on her bedroom door.

The door flew open and the butterflies multiplied deep in his belly at the sight of her. She was absolutely stunning. Her pink locks or placed neatly in a high bun on her head, and her eyes were piercing due to the nice light smoky eye surrounding them.

When his eyes landed on her slightly parted red lips, he almost lost all self-control. They were perfect, plump and crimson. He took an unnoticeable gulp, trying to clear his head of all inappropriate thoughts of what her lips could do.

She looked drop dead gorgeous in the formfitting black dress. The neckline was high but the dress was in no way modest. On her feet she wore red pumps that made her legs look even more toned and long than usual.

It was safe to say Kakashi's pants felt a little tight. His heart felt like it was going to rip out of his chest. All he wanted was to grab her and take her up to his room so that he could rip the dress off and have his way her.

Sakura blushed at Kakashi's presence, feeling slightly self-conscious. He was excruciatingly hot as per usual. She stared hard into his steely gaze and gulped down a large lump in the back of her throat. He looked a little different than usual, almost like an animal. There was a far-off look in his eyes that she just could not explain.

**_Maybe he wants to sex you up!_**

_No way that can't be it. Kakashi would never_ _want someone like me._

**_Who fucking cares?! Freaking take advantage of this awkward standing around and jump him!_**

Ino cleared her throat in the background smirking.

The two jumped at the interruption of their little staring match and turned their attention to the platinum blonde behind them.

She crossed her arms and grinned at Kakashi, "I did a pretty damn good job huh silver fox?"

Kakashi blushed and glared at her, "Don't call me that!"

Ino rolled her eyes and replied, "Whatever, let's stop ogling Sakura and get going."

Kakashi gaped like a fish at the comment as the blonde woman walked past him nonchalantly. Sakura had turned the color of a tomato and started to follow Ino, but was stopped by Kakashi's arm blocking the doorway.

She looked up at him confused, Ino was already down the hall and walking down the staircase.

"Kakashi?" Sakura's voice was timid and nervous, she had never seen this kind of behavior from the man.

He gazed at her, a softer look coming over his features. She seemed so innocent and beautiful and naïve. The young woman stared up at him confused, it was like he suddenly changed character completely from this morning. He had been so carefree and effervescent, now he was so serious.

She gasped as he bent down and kissed her cheek softly. Her face grew hot and her breathing quickened. He moved up to her ear, his lips caressing her face and earlobe with the motion. Goosebumps covered her whole body from head to toe as he lightly breathed on her skin.

"We need to talk later," he whispered, the warmth of his breath making her want to melt into his arms.

He stepped away from her and walked out her door and down the hallway. It was actually quite hard for him to move away from her; he wanted to be within arms reach of her at all times.

Sakura placed her hand on her cheek, confused and flustered.

What could he possibly want to talk about?

Sakura slowed her breathing and followed him out the door and down the stairs to meet all of her friends, her heart still pounding.

**review and vote pwease :)**


	7. A Beautiful Moment Ruined by Jiraiya

**The poll is still up but not for long. And I still need some suggestions for the younger contender, please review :3 they make me happy.**

**Love Lexi **

All of the guys' mouths dropped at the site of Sakura, she looked amazing. But unfortunately they didn't really have much time to ogle her due to the fact that they wanted to get to Bakauma before it got too crowded.

To save from a riot amongst the men, Ino ushered Sakura into her car. It was safe to say that all the guys were instantly envious, but it was for the best, none of them really wanted to fight tonight. They all piled into their separate cars and peeled out of the driveway, heading towards Bakauma.

* * *

><p>Cars were lined around the block for Bakauma. It was always busy every single night even on weekdays. The guys of course knew this since they work there and parked in the back where the employees always park.<p>

Bakauma was packed to the gills. For the most part the guys all kind of separated trying to get to the bar with the least amount of bumping into people. Kakashi on the other hand stuck close to the girls. He seemed to be the only one who noticed all the creepy guys on the floor looking the both of them up and down, assessing how easy of a score they'd be.

One brave drunken soul decided to walk up to Sakura.

"Hey baby, wanna party with me? I promise you'll have a real good time."

He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her just a little too close for comfort. She stared wide-eyed at him, his hair was greasy and he wore a dirty wife beater paired with some holy tattered jeans.

Fear struck her, she could distinctly remember the time when the man had grabbed her when she had gotten off of the city bus late at night, headed home from Naruto's house. He had shoved her behind a liquor store where the streetlights couldn't reach. She was only ten at the time And had absolutely no idea about what was happening. The man had touched her all over saying, "Don't you dare scream or I'll kill you." She had only just begun to develop, and he had bruised her delicate small breasts. The man had started to unbutton his pants when a loud banging of the backdoor of the liquor store interrupted him. He had quickly taken off, leaving the frail pink haired child by the dumpster. Sakura had fallen to the ground sobbing. She had curled up in a fetal position for hours, sitting there in that dark alley crying before she realized how late it was getting.

When she got home, instead of asking about the bruises or seeing if she was okay, her father had beaten her for being out so late. When she had tried to explain, tried to tell him what the stranger had done to her, he called her a liar and locked her in a closet. She didn't get to come out until the next morning when her mother had unlocked the door after her father had left for his job at a factory, when he still had a job.

Sakura struggled against the drunken man, her memories causing her to feel like she did when she was a young girl, distraught and scared. She squirmed against him, but he was much stronger than her and kept his grip firm, smiling lustfully down at her frightened form.

The man's eyes widened as he was ripped off of her forcefully. Kakashi got in his face and glared harshly at him, a vicious look in his eyes.

He slammed him against a nearby wall and snarled, "Touch her again and die."

His voice was incredibly menacing and oozed venom. How dare he touch Sakura. Kakashi was livid, no one in there right mind messed with him when he was like this, which was actually not that often. Something about Sakura caused him to be incredibly protective and more likely to strike at competition. Obviously he would never come to blows with his roommates, they were friendly competition, people he liked and trusted. This man on the other hand was neither of those things.

The man nodded bewildered and scared. He then backed off, his hands in the air in surrender as Kakashi grasped Sakura's petite hand tightly but not too tight in order not to hurt her.

Once they were far enough away from the guy, Kakashi turned around to look at Sakura.

"Are you okay? Did he do anything to you?"

It was strange but suddenly she wasn't scared anymore. Just one look into his eyes and she instantly felt calmer, her fears dying down to a slightly uncomfortable feeling in her chest.

"I'm okay... Thank you."

She looked down embarrassed. Someone actually saved her from a fate similar to the one from her childhood. She had wished so desperately growing up that she had had a savior that day, and now, she didn't just have one, she had eight. She had eight grown men that would do just about anything for her, especially when it came to protecting her. She never felt uneasy or scared around them, always comfortable and safe.

Her eyes started to well up at the thought that she finally had a family that cared about her.

Kakashi lifted her face by her chin and wiped away her tears with his thumb.

"It's fine, you know we'd never let anything happen to you."

She nodded and gave a him a genuine smile. How he loved seeing that pearly grin on her. He gave her a crooked smile of his own and grasped her hand again, and started leading her towards the bar. Sakura stared at her savior, a warm feeling spread from her hand to her arm to her whole body.

Her body tingled at the feeling of his large hand entwined with her's. She had never felt anything like this.

Before she knew it they had rejoined the group at the bar. The place really was packed. There was at least a hundred and fifty people there that night. Not only were there a lot of people, but there were all sorts of people. Every stereotype, individual and group that one could possibly think of occupied the crowded restaurant and bar. The waiters and waitresses seemed frantic trying to help and serve their customers while also trying to avoid the random couples making out and the patrons puking in the several trashcans and the random dancing drunks that didn't care where they were getting down.

Kakashi let go of her hand, albeit unwillingly, in order to not cause suspicion and more competition with his roommates. Sakura pouted at the loss and sighed, figuring he didn't really want to hold her hand and was actually just making sure she made it through the crowd.

She really did love the way his hand felt in her's, it felt like she was now missing something. His hand was so warm and large that it made her feel incredibly safe and secure and cared about.

Ino had witnessed the entire encounter and smiled warmly at her innocent friend from behind.

_She has no clue how any of these men feel about her. I can't wait to see how it all turns out and who end up stealing her heart._

"Hey let's get a round starting for all of us! Koza, give us ten shots of the usual," Jiraiya grinned. The young man from behind the bar nodded and poured ten tequila shots for the men and two ladies. Once the shots were poured, Jiraiya handed them out to the group. When Sakura received hers she stared at it for a few moments.

_What exactly am I supposed to do with this?_

_**You obviously drink it stupid**_.

_Well of course I drink it, but it's tequila and I'm under aged, I might get in trouble. Plus I've never had alcohol before..._

_**Well drink it anyway, you say you don't want them to know your age. So keep them guessing and make them think you're of legal drinking age.**_

Sakura sat there concentrating, trying to think of what to do. Should she drink it? What if she gets drunk? Her inner has a point, if she does drink it maybe everyone will go on believing she's not a minor.

Ino glanced at Sakura and noticed the inner turmoil the young woman was going through.

She leaned in and whispered, "Just hold your breath and chug it."

"I'd like to make a toast! To Sakura for getting her feet back in the ground! And to the lovely miss Ino for helping her stand back up! Cheers!" Genma announced, his glass held high. They all lifted their glasses and proceeded to down the clear liquid.

Sakura gulped, held her breath and downed it in one swallow. Taking a breath she coughed harshly, the hot liquid searing down her esophagus. It was such a strange sensation. It literally felt like a small fire was traveling down her throat and headed towards her stomach.

_What the hell am I doing?_

_**Who knows? But let's partayy!**_

* * *

><p>They had ordered a few more rounds of Vodka and before Sakura knew it, she felt like she was riding a merry go round. The bar stool she sat on seemed like a prancing pony taking her around and around. Sakura shook her head and tried to ignore the spinning feeling.<p>

Sakura looked over at where Into had been sitting only to see her kicking Jiraiya's ass at arm wrestling. The blonde didn't even seem slightly effected by the alcohol. Ino slammed Jiraiya's arm to the liquor drenched bar and flexed as Jiraiya whined in defeat.

Ino noticed Sakura staring at her incredulously and chuckled.

"How are you not feeling this?!"

"It takes a lot for me to get drunk," Ino replied. "I'm a bit of a heavy weight."

Their conversation was interrupted as Genma appeared behind Sakura, wrapping his large muscular arms around her. He reeked of alcohol, but then again so did Sakura. He smirked and placed his lips on her ear whispering, "Let's dance."

He grasped her hand before she could reply and led her to the dance floor. Sakura had never danced with a man before, and maybe it was the alcohol but her heart was pounding and goosebumps lined her arms and neck. As they made their way to the middle of the hardwood floor he pulled her closer to him. He moved so close to her that only a hair's breadth separated them. He placed his hands on her full hips and started to sway to the beat. She followed suit, mimicking his movements.

She turned around in his arms, her bare back touching his chest. She had no clue what she was doing, but she was going with it. She started dancing against him, his hands sliding over her body with the rhythm of the song. Her arm slung around his neck fluidly as they moved against one another.

The song that was playing, "Fire Without a Flame" by NoNoNo, was one of her favorites. As it played and she danced with Genma she completely forgot where she was, what she was doing. All she knew was the movements and feeling of the the way they were dancing.

Genma was tingling and giddy as she moved against him. He smirked knowing he had gained a small victory in the battle between him and his roommates' in their attempts at wooing their beautiful young ward. But he mostly didn't care about that. He was just happy that she hasn't refused to dance with him. His whole body had turned to too as soon as she had turned in his arms. Her uncovered back was some of the creamiest flesh he had ever seen. She was gorgeous from every angle and he couldn't believe he was grinding with the girl he was quickly finding himself infatuated with.

A few of the roommates had gone with some of the single ladies hovering the bar for arm candy to dance, drink, or of course any promiscuous ideas that one could imagine. The ones that had remained at the bar were indeed glaring at the interaction going on between the young woman and Genma.

The three roommates that had remained, thwarting the attempts of the temptresses lurking around the bar for any man they could get their hands on were none other than Gai, Iruka, and Kakashi. They each had mixed feelings about the dance between Sakura and Genma.

Iruka sat on one of the tall stools sulking as he sipped on a Pale Ale in a large frosted mug. He watched as Sakura pressed against Genma, her eyes closed in enjoyment and a large smile on her face. He scoffed at the interaction and turned around to play with one of the tiny paper umbrellas they normally put in fruity drinks. Iruka had regretted not going further with Sakura that one evening on the couch every day since. He felt that he had cheated himself by not at least kissing her. He pouted as he opened and closed the tiny umbrella.

Gai was so depressed he couldn't even look at the dancing couple. He just sat there brooding picking at his dark wash jeans muttering about how "unyouthful" Genma is and how it should be him dancing with Sakura.

Kakashi on the other hand paid no mind to Genma, his eyes were entirely on his pink haired dance partner. The way she moved the way she smiled, everything about her was just hypnotizing. He immediately felt an uncontrollable urge to dance with her, to be in Genma's shoes.

He pushed himself off of the barstool and headed toward the dance floor, pushing himself through the crowd. His eyes stayed on Sakura the whole time, eyeing every movement. As the song started to end, her emerald eyes opened only to be met with his dark grey ones. A random green-haired woman shoved Sakura off of Genma and towards Kakashi as the song ended, sending Sakura flying into Kakashi's arms. He caught her with ease as a dubstep song started bumping through the stereos.

Genma had tried to push the intruder off, but she was like a leech, her arms snaking around him, disabling him from moving away. He sighed, wishing he could've danced a little longer with Sakura.

Sakura looked up at Kakashi's handsome face from his broad chest. She stood fully never breaking eye contact. Her face flushed a bright cherry; he always seems to have this effect on her in any and all situations.

She suddenly felt extremely light headed and she could clearly feel vomit forming at the back of her throat. Her face turned a pale shade of green and Kakashi instantly realized what was going on. He knew he needed to get her to a trash can and quick. He looked around knowing they normally kept a few metal bins on the dance floor for just such an occasion. He spotted one by the back exit, its silver sides a beacon, and he swiftly swept her up I'm his arms and sprinted for it, making it just in time for her to spew her guts out into the hard metal tin.

She felt amazing afterwards, still completely wasted, but at least she wasn't nauseous anymore.

"Do you want to get some fresh air?" Kakashi asked loudly in order to be heard over the loud beat in the background. Sakura glanced up at him and nodded in reply.

They stepped outside the back exit and sat on the steps that led to it. It was a nice cool evening, and busy too. The whole city was out, partying, celebrating, getting into trouble, you name it.

"Feel better?"

"Mm-hmm."

He stared unabashedly at her; he was simply amazed at the fact that even after puking her brains out he still thought she was stunning. A few blush colored strands of hair had falls from her tight bun and her red lipstick was slightly smudged. He took his thumb and lightly caressed the side of her lip to get rid of the smudge. She looked at him as he did so and blushed severely. Sakura shivered at the feeling, goosebumps covering her entire body.

"Are you cold?"

Before she could answer, not that she even had a logical one to start with, he had stripped himself of his blazer and placed it around her shoulders. Her lips parted on awe as he did so. She was surprised at how sweet he was being; from what everyone said she thought he was just a player toying with her and every other girl's emotions.

Kakashi sighed and leaned against the door behind them. He was so handsome, his dark eyes staring out into the bright lights of the city.

She didn't know what had come over her or why she did it, be it the way he looked out into the city with that steely mysterious look of his or the booze, but she pounced on him.

He looked up at her startled as she straddled him awkwardly not really knowing what to do next.

_What the hell am I doing?! Oh Kami he probably thinks I'm a freak!_

**_Who cares?! Let's get our freak on!_**

Kakashi snapped out of shock and took initiative, though he couldn't quite believe that this was happening at all. He grabbed her waist with one hand and her cheek with another. She inhaled sharply at that warm tingly feeling. Her face was flushed, her breathing came in belated huffs, and she felt flustered. What exactly was she supposed to do next?

_**Kiss him dumbass!**_

For some unknown reason she listened to her inner and leaned in forcefully, knocking her teeth against his lips.

"Ow fuck."

Sakura opened her eyes, her like still slightly puckered to see Kakashi holding his lips, a trickle of blood dripping from the bottom one. She gasped mortified and buried her face into her hands.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry! I don't know what came over me! I can't believe I just did that. I am so so so sorry Kakashi, it won't happen again, I didn't mean-"

Her words were cut off as he pressed his lips against her's. When she said it would never happen again something inside him snapped. As long as he had a say in it, it would sure as hell happen again, and again and again. She stared at him wide eyed as he moved against her pulling her to him.

_Holy shit he's kissing me!_

**_Kiss him back stupid!_**

Sakura's eyes closed slowly as she melted into the kiss. His lips were so soft and supple against her own. She moved against him as he pulled her closer. Neither of them wanted the moment to end.

Unfortunately fate was not on their side as Jiraiya bashed through the door smacking Kakashi in the back and sending him flying towards the ground, Sakura in tow. She toppled to the pavement smacking her head on the hard concrete, effectively knocking her out.


End file.
